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THE  NOVELS 

OF 

CAPTAIN   MARRYAT 

EDITED    BY 

R.  BRIMLEY    JOHNSON 


This  Edition  of  Captain  Marryafs  No'velsy 

made  exclusi<vely  for  members  of  the 

NEW  YORK  YACHT  CLUB 

is  strictly  limited  to  one  hundred  copies. 


'■€::^^u'^G<^t^L-r'Wa. 


Copy  No.  /  6 

PRINTED  FOR 

H.  A.  VAN  LIEIF,  Esq. 


A^' 


NEW  YORK  YACHT  CLUB  EDITION 


THE  LITTLE  SAVAGE 


BY 
CAPTAIN  MARRY  AT 


NEW  YORK 

CROSCUP  AND  COMPANY 

MDCCCXCVI 


Contents 


Chapter 

I 

Chapter 

II 

Chapter 

III 

Chapter 

IV 

Chapter 

V 

Chapter 

VI 

Chapter 

VII 

Chapter 

VIII 

Chapter 

IX 

Chapter 

X 

Chapter 

XI 

Chapter 

XII 

Chapter 

XIII 

Chapter 

XIV 

Chapter 

XV 

Chapter 

XVI 

Chapter 

XVII 

Chapter 

XVIII 

Chapter 

XIX 

Chapter 

XX 

Chapter 

XXI 

Chapter 

XXII 

VAGZ 
I 

6 

12 

19 
23 

32 
3B 

43 

51 

57 
64 
70 

77 

83 

89 

96 

102 

107 

112 

119 

126 

132 


VI 


Contents 


Chapter 

XXIII     . 

Chapter 

XXIV     . 

Chapter 

XXV       . 

Chapter 

XXVI     . 

Chapter 

XXVII    . 

Chapter 

XXVIII  . 

Chapter 

XXIX     . 

Chapter 

XXX       . 

Chapter 

XXXI     . 

Chapter 

XXXII  . 

Chapter 

XXXIII. 

Chapter 

XXXIV  . 

Chapter 

XXXV    . 

Chapter 

XXXVI  . 

Chapter 

XXXVII 

Chapter 

XXXVIII 

Chapter 

XXXIX  . 

Chapter 

XL 

Chapter 

XLI 

Chapter 

XLII       . 

Chapter 

XLIII     . 

Chapter 

XLIV      . 

Chapter 

XLV       . 

Chapter 

XLVI      . 

Chapter 

XLVII    . 

Chapter 

XLVIII 

Chapter 

XLIX     . 

PAGE 
140 

148 

162 
168 

171 

181 
185 

204 
208 
211 
217 
223 
229 

242 

248 

253 
258 
262 


List  of  Etchings 


Poking  our  calves,  and   making  them   pull   instead  of 

MYSELF      (Ch.  xliii.)  ,  .  ,  Fronttspiect 

PAGE 
He    CREPT  VERY  SOFTLY  OUT    OF    HIS    BED-PLACE    TOWARDS  ME  21 

At    last    the    birds    came,   and    I    procured    some    of 

their  eggs  .  .  .  .  .89 

The  whole  of  them  laid  hold  of  the  cask      .  .        114 

i  beheld  a  face  that  seemed  to  me  wonderfully  fair 

and  beautiful       •  .  .  .  .       23o 

*  The  MEN  WOULD    HAVE    MADE    SHORT    WORK    WITH    YOU,  IF  i 

HAD    NOT    interposed'  ....  264 

Drawn  and  Etched  by  W,  G.  Tennick. 


Prefatory  Note 

The  Little  Savage  and  Valerie  were  both  posthumous 
works,  and  neither  of  them  entirely  written  by  Marryat. 
There  is  a  reference,  in  The  Life  and  Letters  of  Captain 
Marryat  by  his  daughter  Florence  Marryat,  to  "  The  Little 
Savage^  only  two  chapters  of  the  second  volume  of  which 
were  written  by  himself." 

This  sentence  may  be  variously  interpreted,  but  most 
probably  implies  that  Marryat  wrote  all  Part  I  (of  the  first 
edition)  and  two  chapters  of  Part  II,  that  is — as  far  as  the 
end  of  Chapter  xxiv.  The  remaining  pages  may  be  the 
work  of  his  son  Frank  S.  Marryat,  who  edited  the  first 
edition,  supplying  a  brief  preface  to  Part  II : — 

^'  I  cannot  publish  this  last  work  of  my  late  father 
without  some  prefatory  remarks,  as,  in  justice  to  the  public, 
as  well  as  to  himself,  I  should  state,  that  his  lamented 
decease  prevented  his  concluding  the  second  volume. 

The  present  volume  has  been  for  some  time  at  press, 
but  the  long-protracted  illness  of  the  author  delayed  its 
publication." 

The  Little  Savage  opens  well.  The  picture  of  a  lad, 
who  was  born  on  a  desert  island — though  of  English 
parents — and  really  deserves  to  be  called  a  savage,  growing 
up  with  no  other  companionship  than  that  of  his  father's 
murderer,  is  boldly  conceived  and  executed  with  some 
power.  The  man  Jackson  is  a  thoroughly  human  ruffian, 
who  naturally  detests  the  boy  he  has  so  terribly  injured, 
and  bullies  him  brutally.  Under  this  treatment  Frank's 
animal  passions  are  inevitably  aroused,  and  when  the 
lightning  had  struck  his  tyrant  blind,  he  turns  upon  him 
with  a  quiet  savagery  that  is  narrated  with  admirable 
detachment. 


X  Prefatory  Note 

This  original  situation  arrests  the  reader's  attention  and 
secures  his  interest  in  Frank  Henniker's  developement 
towards  civilisation  and  virtue.  The  boy  is  very 
intelligent  and  naturally  affectionate.  His  experience 
of  absolute  solitude  after  Jackson's  death  serves  to  bring 
out  his  sympathies  with  animals  and  flowers ;  while,  on 
the  arrival  of  Mrs  Reichardt,  the  somewhat  didactic 
missionary's  widow,  he  proves  himself  a  loyal  and  capable 
comrade  under  kind  treatment. 

The  later  chapters  of  the  book  are,  unfortunately, 
somewhat  inferior  to  the  rest,  and  it  is  much  to  be 
regretted  that  Marryat  did  not  live  to  finish  his  work. 

It  has  been  here  reprinted,  with  some  corrections,  from 
the  first  edition.    H.  Hurst,  1 848,  1849. 

R.  B.  J. 


The  Little  Savage 


Chapter  I 

I  AM  about  to  write  a  very  curious  history,  as  the  reader 
will  agree  with  me  when  he  has  read  this  book.  We 
have  more  than  one  narrative  of  people  being  cast  away 
upon  desolate  islands,  and  being  left  to  their  own  resources, 
and  no  works  are  perhaps  read  with  more  interest ;  but  I 
believe  I  am  the  first  instance  of  a  boy  being  left  alone 
upon  an  uninhabited  island.  Such  was,  however,  the  case ; 
and  now  I  shall  tell  my  own  story. 

My  first  recollections  are,  that  I  was  in  company  with  a 
man  upon  this  island,  and  that  we  walked  often  along  the 
sea-shore.  It  was  rocky  and  difficult  to  climb  in  many 
parts,  and  the  man  used  to  drag  or  pull  me  over  the 
dangerous  places.  He  was  very  unkind  to  me,  which 
may  appear  strange,  as  I  was  the  only  companion  that  he 
had  ;  but  he  was  of  a  morose  and  gloomy  disposition. 
He  would  sit  down  squatted  in  the  corner  of  our  cabin, 
and  sometimes  not  speak  for  hours — or  he  would  remain 
the  whole  day  looking  out  at  the  sea,  as  if  watching  for 
something,  but  what  I  never  could  tell ;  for  if  I  spoke,  he 
would  not  reply ;  and  if  near  to  him,  I  was  sure  to  receive 
a  cuff  or  a  heavy  blow.  I  should  imagine  that  I  was 
about  five  years  old  at  the  time  that  I  first  recollect 
clearly  what  passed.  I  may  have  been  younger.  I  may 
as  well  here  state  what  I  gathered  from  him  at  different 
times,  relative  to  our  being  left  upon  this  desolate  spot. 
It    was    with    difficulty   that   I   did   so ;    for,    generally 

L.S.  A 


2  The  Little  Savage 

speaking,  he  would  throw  a  stone  at  me  if  I  asked 
questions,  that  is,  if  I  repeatedly  asked  them  after  he  had 
refused  to  answer.  It  was  on  one  occasion,  when  he  was 
lying  sick,  that  I  gained  the  information,  and  that  only  by 
refusing  to  attend  him  or  bring  him  food  and  water.  He 
would  be  very  angry,  and  say,  that  when  he  got  well 
again,  he  would  make  me  smart  for  it  -,  but  I  cared  not, 
for  I  was  then  getting  strong,  whilst  he  was  getting 
weaker  every  day,  and  I  had  no  love  for  him,  for  he  had 
never  shown  any  to  me,  but  always  treated  me  with  great 
severity. 

He  told  me,  that  about  twelve  years  before  (not  that  I 
knew  what  he  meant  by  a  year,  for  I  had  never  heard  the 
term  used  by  him),  an  English  ship  (I  did  not  know  what 
a  ship  was)  had  been  swamped  near  the  island,  in  a  heavy 
gale,  and  that  seven  men  and  one  woman  had  been  saved, 
and  all  the  other  people  lost  That  the  ship  had  been 
broken  into  pieces,  and  that  they  had  saved  nothing — that 
they  had  picked  up  among  the  rocks  pieces  of  the  wood 
with  which  it  had  been  made,  and  had  built  the  cabin  in 
which  we  lived.  That  one  had  died  after  another,  and 
had  been  buried  (what  death  or  burial  meant,  I  had  no 
idea  at  the  time),  and  that  I  had  been  born  on  the  island ; 
(How  was  I  born  ?  thought  I) — that  most  of  them  had  died 
before  I  was  two  years  old;  and  that  then,  he  and  my 
mother  were  the  only  two  left  besides  me.  My  mother 
had  died  a  few  months  afterwards.  I  was  obliged  to  ask 
him  many  questions  to  understand  all  this ;  indeed,  I  did 
not  understand  it  till  long  afterwards,  although  I  had  an 
idea  of  what  he  would  say.  Had  I  been  left  with  any 
other  person,  I  should,  of  course,  by  conversation,  have 
learnt  much ;  but  he  never  would  converse,  still  less 
explain.  He  called  me.  Boy,  and  I  called  him,  Master. 
His  inveterate  silence  was  the  occasion  of  my  language 
being  composed  of  very  few  words  ;  for,  except  to  order 
me  to  do  this  or  that,  to  procure  what  was  required,  he 
never  would  converse.  He  did  however  mutter  to  him- 
self, and  talk  in  his  sleep,  and  I  used  to  lie  awake  and 


The  Little  Siivage  3 

listen,  that  I  might  gain  information;  not  at  first,  but 
when  I  grew  older.  He  used  to  cry  out  in  his  sleep 
constantly. — "  A  judgment,  a  judgment  on  me  for  my 
sins,  my  heavy  sins — God  be  merciful  !  "  But  what 
judgment,  or  what  sin  was,  or  what  was  God,  I  did 
not  then  know,  although  I  mused  on  words  repeated  so 
often. 

I  will  now  describe  the  island,  and  the  way  in  which 
we  lived.  The  island  was  very  small,  perhaps  not  three 
miles  round ;  it  was  of  rock,  and  there  was  no  beach  nor 
landing  place,  the  sea  washing  its  sides  with  deep  water. 
It  was,  as  I  afterwards  discovered,  one  of  the  group  of 
islands  to  which  the  Peruvians  despatch  vessels  every 
year  to  collect  the  guano,  or  refuse  of  the  sea  birds  which 
resort  to  the  islands  ;  but  the  one  on  which  we  were  was 
small,  and  detached  some  distance  from  the  others,  on 
which  the  guano  was  found  in  great  profusion ;  so  that 
hitherto  it  had  been  neglected,  and  no  vessel  had  ever 
come  near  it.  Indeed,  the  other  islands  were  not  to  be 
seen  from  it  except  on  a  very  clear  day,  when  they  appeared 
like  a  cloud  or  mist  on  the  horizon.  The  shores  of  the 
island  were,  moreover,  so  precipitous,  that  there  was  no 
landing  place,  and  the  eternal  wash  of  the  ocean  would 
have  made  it  almost  impossible  for  a  vessel  to  have  taken 
off  a  cargo.  Such  was  the  island  upon  which  I  found  my- 
self in  company  with  this  man.  Our  cabin  was  built  of 
ship-plank  and  timber,  under  the  shelter  of  a  cliff,  about 
fifty  yards  from  the  water;  there  was  a  flat  of  about 
thirty  yards  square  in  front  of  it,  and  from  the  cliff  there 
trickled  down  a  rill  of  water,  which  fell  into  a  hole  dug 
out  to  collect  it,  and  then  found  its  way  over  the  flat  to 
the  rocks  beneath.  The  cabin  itself  was  large,  and 
capable  of  holding  many  more  people  than  had  ever  lived 
in  it ;  but  it  was  not  too  large,  as  we  had  to  secure  in  it 
our  provisions  for  many  months.  There  were  several 
bed-places  level  with  the  floor,  which  were  rendered  soft 
enough  to  lie  on,  by  being  filled  with  the  feathers  of 
birds.     Furniture  there  was  none,  except  two  or  three  old 


4  The  Little  Savage 

axes,  blunted  with  long  use,  a  tin  pannikin,  a  mess  kid 
and  some  rude  vessels  to  hold  water,  cut  out  of  wood. 
On  the  summit  of  the  island  there  was  a  forest  of  under- 
wood, and  the  bushes  extended  some  distance  down  the 
ravines  which  led  from  the  summit  to  the  shore.  One  of 
my  most  arduous  tasks  was  to  climb  these  ravines  and 
collect  wood,  but  fortunately  a  fire  was  not  often  required. 
The  climate  was  warm  all  the  year  round,  and  there 
seldom  was  a  fall  of  rain  ;  when  it  did  fall,  it  was  generally 
expended  on  the  summit  of  the  island,  and  did  not  reach 
us.  At  a  certain  period  of  the  year,  the  birds  came  to  the 
island  in  numberless  quantities  to  breed,  and  their  chief 
resort  was  some  tolerably  level  ground — indeed,  in  many 
places,  it  was  quite  level  with  the  accumulation  of  guano 
— which  ground  was  divided  from  the  spot  where  our 
cabin  was  built  by  a  deep  ravine.  On  this  spot,  which 
might  perhaps  contain  about  twenty  acres  or  more,  the  sea 
birds  would  sit  upon  their  eggs,  not  four  inches  apart  from 
each  other,  and  the  whole  surface  of  this  twenty  acres 
would  be  completely  covered  with  them.  There  they 
would  remain  from  the  time  of  the  laying  of  the  eggs, 
until  the  young  ones  were  able  to  leave  the  nests  and  fly 
away  with  them.  At  the  season  when  the  birds  were  on 
the  island,  all  was  gaiety,  bustle,  and  noise,  but  after  their 
departure  it  was  quiet  and  solitude.  I  used  to  long  for 
their  arrival,  and  was  delighted  with  the  animation  which 
gladdened  the  island,  the  male  birds  diving  in  every 
direction  after  fish,  wheeling  and  soaring  in  the  air,  and 
uttering  loud  cries,  which  were  responded  to  by  their 
mates  on  the  nests. 

But  it  was  also  our  harvest  time ;  we  seldom  touched 
the  old  birds,  as  they  were  not  in  flesh,  but  as  soon  as  the 
young  ones  were  within  a  few  days  of  leaving  the  nests, 
we  were  then  busy  enough.  In  spite  of  the  screaming  and 
the  flapping  of  their  wings  in  our  faces,  and  the  darting 
their  beaks  at  our  eyes,  of  the  old  birds,  as  we  robbed 
them  of  their  progeny,  we  collected  hundreds  every  day, 
and  bore  as  heavy  a  load  as  we  could  carry  across  the 


The  Little  Savage  5 

ravine  to  the  platform  in  front  of  our  cabin,  where  we 
busied  ourselves  in  skinning  them,  splitting  them,  and 
hanging  them  out  to  dry  in  the  sun.  The  air  of  the  island 
was  so  pure  that  no  putrefaction  ever  took  place,  and  during 
the  last  fortnight  of  the  birds  coming  on  the  island,  we 
had  collected  a  sufficiency  for  our  support  until  their  return 
on  the  following  year.  As  soon  as  they  were  quite  dry 
they  were  packed  up  in  a  corner  of  the  cabin  for  use. 

These  birds  were,  it  may  be  said,  the  only  produce  of 
the  island,  with  the  exception  of  fish,  and  the  eggs  taken 
at  the  time  of  their  first  making  their  nests.  Fish  v/ere  to 
be  taken  in  large  quantities.  It  was  sufficient  to  put  a  line 
over  the  rocks,  and  it  had  hardly  time  to  go  down  a  fathom 
before  anything  at  the  end  of  it  was  seized.  Indeed,  our 
means  of  taking  them  were  as  simple  as  their  voracity  was 
great.  Our  lines  were  composed  of  the  sinews  of  the  legs 
of  the  man-of-war  birds,  as  I  afterwards  heard  them  named ; 
and,  as  these  were  only  about  a  foot  long,  it  required  a 
great  many  of  them  knotted  together  to  make  a  line.  At 
the  end  of  the  line  was  a  bait  fixed  over  a  strong  fish-bone, 
which  was  fastened  to  the  line  by  the  middle ;  a  half-hitch 
of  the  line  round  one  end  kept  the  bone  on  a  parallel  with 
the  line  until  the  bait  was  seized,  when  the  line  being 
taughtened,  the  half-hitch  slipped  off  and  the  bone  remained 
crossways  in  the  gullet  of  the  fish,  which  was  drawn  up  by 
it.  Simple  as  this  contrivance  was,  it  answered  as  well  as 
the  best  hook,  of  which  I  had  never  seen  one  at  that  time. 
The  fish  were  so  strong  and  large,  that,  when  I  was  young, 
the  man  would  not  allow  me  to  attempt  to  catch  them, 
lest  they  should  pull  me  into  the  water ;  but,  as  I  grew 
bigger,  I  could  master  them.  Such  was  our  food  from 
one  year's  end  to  the  other ;  we  had  no  variety,  except 
when  occasionally  we  broiled  the  dried  birds  or  the  fish 
upon  the  embers,  instead  of  eating  them  dried  by  the  sun. 
Our  raiment,  such  as  it  was,  we  were  also  indebted  to  the 
feathered  tribe  for.  The  birds  were  skinned  with  the 
feathers  on,  and  their  skins  sewn  together  with  sinews, 
and  a  fish-bone  by  way  of  a  needle.     These  garments  were 


6  The  Little  Savage 

not  very  durable,  but  the  climate  was  so  fine  that  we  did 
not  suffer  from  the  cold  at  any  season  of  the  year.  I  used 
to  make  myself  a  new  dress  every  year  when  the  birds 
came ;  but  by  the  time  that  they  returned,  I  had  little  left 
of  my  last  year's  suit,  the  fragments  of  which  might  be 
found  among  the  rocky  and  steep  parts  of  the  ravine  where 
we  used  to  collect  firing. 

Living  such  a  life,  with  so  few  wants,  and  those 
periodically  and  easily  supplied,  hardly  varied  from  one 
year's  end  to  another,  it  may  easily  be  imagined  that  I  had 
but  few  ideas.  I  might  have  had  more,  if  my  companion 
had  not  been  of  such  a  taciturn  and  morose  habit ;  as  it 
was,  I  looked  at  the  wide  ocean,  and  the  sky,  and  the  sun, 
moon,  and  stars,  wondering,  puzzled,  afraid  to  ask  ques- 
tions, and  ending  all  by  sleeping  away  a  large  portion  of 
my  existence.  We  had  no  tools  except  the  old  ones,  which 
were  useless — no  employment  of  any  kind.  There  was  a 
book,  and  I  asked  what  it  was  for  and  what  it  was,  but  I 
got  no  answer.  It  remained  upon  the  shelf,  for  if  I  looked 
at  it  I  was  ordered  away,  and  at  last  I  regarded  it  with  a 
sort  of  fear,  as  if  it  were  a  kind  of  incomprehensible 
animal.  The  day  was  passed  in  idleness  and  almost 
silence ;  perhaps  not  a  dozen  sentences  were  exchanged  in 
the  twenty-four  hours.  My  companion  always  the  same, 
brooding  over  something  which  appeared  ever  to  occupy 
his  thoughts,  and  angry  if  roused  up  from  his  reverie. 


Chaper  II 

The  reader  must  understand  that  the  foregoing  remarks 
are  to  be  considered  as  referring  to  my  position  and  amount 
of  knowledge  when  I  was  seven  or  eight  years  old.  My 
master,  as  I  called  him,  was  a  short  square-built  man,  about 
sixty  years  of  age,  as  I  afterwards  estimated  from  recol- 
lection and  comparison.  His  hair  fell  down  his  back  in 
thick  clusters  and  was  still  of  a  dark  color,  and  his  beard 


The  Little  Savage  7 

was  full  two  feet  long  and  very  bushy  ;  indeed,  he  was 
covered  with  hair,  wherever  his  person  was  exposed.  He 
was,  I  should  say,  very  powerful  had  he  had  occasion  to 
exert  his  strength,  but  with  the  exception  of  the  time 
at  which  we  collected  the  birds,  and  occasionally  going 
up  the  ravine  to  bring  down  faggots  of  wood,  he  seldom 
moved  out  of  the  cabin  unless  it  was  to  bathe.  There 
was  a  pool  of  salt  water  of  about  twenty  yards  square, 
near  the  sea,  but  separated  from  it  by  a  low  ridge  of 
rocks,  over  which  the  waves  only  beat  when  the  sea  was 
rough  and  the  wind  on  that  side  of  the  island.  Every 
morning  almost  we  went  down  to  bathe  in  that  pool,  as 
it  was  secure  from  the  sharks,  which  were  very  numerous. 
I  could  swim  like  a  fish  as  early  as  I  can  recollect,  but 
whether  I  was  taught,  or  learnt  myself,  I  cannot  tell. 
Thus  was  my  life  passed  away ;  my  duties  were  trifling ; 
I  had  little  or  nothing  to  employ  myself  about,  for  I  had 
no  means  of  employment.  I  seldom  heard  the  human 
voice,  and  became  as  taciturn  as  my  companion.  My 
amusements  were  equally  confined — looking  down  into 
the  depths  of  the  ocean,  as  I  lay  over  the  rocky  wall 
which  girded  the  major  portion  of  the  island,  and  watching 
the  motions  of  the  finny  tribes  below,  wondering  at  the 
stars  during  the  night  season,  eating,  and  sleeping.  Thus 
did  I  pass  away  an  existence  without  pleasure  and  without 
pain.  As  for  what  my  thoughts  were  I  can  hardly  say, 
my  knowledge  and  my  ideas  were  too  confined  for  me  to 
have  any  food  for  thought.  I  was  little  better  than  a 
beast  of  the  field,  that  lies  down  on  the  pasture  after  he 
is  filled.  There  was  one  great  source  of  interest  however, 
which  was,  to  listen  to  the  sleeping  talk  of  my  companion, 
and  I  always  looked  forward  to  the  time  when  the  night 
fell  and  we  repaired  to  our  beds.  I  would  lie  awake  for 
hours,  listening  to  his  ejaculations  and  murmured  speech, 
trying  in  vain  to  find  out  some  meaning  in  what  he  would 
say — but  I  gained  little  ;  he  talked  of  "  that  woman  " — 
appearing  to  be  constantly  with  other  men,  and  muttering 
about  something  he  had  hidden  away.     One  night,  when 


8  The  Little  Savage 

the  moon  was  shining  bright,  he  sat  up  in  his  bed,  which, 
as  I  have  before  said,  was  on  the  floor  of  the  cabin,  and 
throwing  aside  the  feathers  upon  which  he  had  been 
lying,  scratched  the  mould  away  below  them  and  lifted 
up  a  piece  of  board.  After  a  minute  he  replaced  every- 
thing, and  lay  down  again.  He  evidently  was  sleeping 
during  the  whole  time.  Here,  at  last,  was  something  to 
feed  my  thoughts  with.  I  had  heard  him  say  in  his  sleep 
that  he  had  hidden  something — this  must  be  the  hiding 
place.  "What  was  it  ?  Perhaps  I  ought  here  to  observe 
that  my  feelings  towards  this  man  were  those  of  positive 
dislike,  if  not  hatred  ;  I  never  had  received  one  kind  word 
or  deed  from  him,  that  I  could  recollect.  Harsh  and 
unfeeling  towards  me,  evidently  looking  upon  me  with 
ill-will,  and  only  suffering  me  because  I  saved  him  some 
trouble,  and  perhaps  because  he  wished  to  have  a  living 
thing  for  his  companion, — his  feelings  towards  me  were 
reciprocated  by  mine  towards  him.  What  age  I  was  at 
the  time  my  mother  died,  I  know  not,  but  I  had  some 
faint  recollection  of  one  who  treated  me  with  kindness  and 
caresses,  and  these  recollections  became  more  forcible  in 
my  dreams,  when  I  saw  a  figure  very  different  from  that 
of  my  companion  (a  female  figure)  hanging  over  me  or 
leading  me  by  the  hand.  How  I  used  to  try  to  continue 
those  dreams,  by  closing  my  eyes  again  after  I  had  woke 
up !  And  yet  I  knew  not  that  they  had  been  brought 
about  by  the  dim  recollection  of  my  infancy ;  I  knew  not 
that  the  figure  that  appeared  to  me  was  the  shadow  of 
my  mother ;  but  I  loved  the  dreams  because  I  was 
treated  kindly  in  them. 

But  a  change  took  place  by  the  hand  of  Providence. 
One  day,  after  we  had  just  laid  in  our  yearly  provision  of 
sea  birds,  I  was  busy  arranging  the  skins  of  the  old  birds, 
on  the  flat  rock,  for  my  annual  garment,  which  was  joined 
together  something  like  a  sack,  with  holes  for  the  head 
and  arms  to  pass  through ;  when,  as  I  looked  to  seaward, 
I  saw  a  large  white  object  on  the  water. 

"  Look,  master,"  said  I,  pointing  towards  it. 


The  Liitle  Savage  9 

*'  A  ship,  a  ship  !  "  cried  my  companion. 

"  Oh,"  thought  I,  **  that  is  a  ship  ;  I  recollect  that  he 
said  they  came  here  in  a  ship."  I  kept  my  eyes  on  her, 
and  she  rounded  to* 

"  Is  she  alive  ?  "  inquired  I. 

"  You're  a  fool,"  said  the  man  ;  "  come  and  help  me 
to  pile  up  this  wood  that  we  may  make  a  signal  to  her. 
Go  and  fetch  some  water  and  throw  on  it,  that  there  may 
be  plenty  of  smoke.  Thank  God,  I  may  leave  this  cursed 
hole  at  last !  " 

I  hardly  understood  him,  but  I  went  for  the  water 
and  brought  it  in  the  mess  kid. 

"  I  want  more  wood  yet,"  said  he.  **  Her  head  is  this 
way,  and  she  will  come  nearer." 

"  Then  she  is  alive,"  said  I. 

"  Away,  fool !  "  said  he,  giving  me  a  cuff  on  the  head ; 
**  get  some  more  water  and  throw  on  the  wood." 

He  then  went  into  the  cabin  to  strike  a  light,  which  he 
obtained  by  a  piece  of  iron  and  flint,  with  some  fine  dry 
moss  for  tinder.  While  he  was  so  employed,  my  eyes 
were  fixed  on  the  vessel,  wondering  what  it  could  be. 
It  moved  through  the  water,  turned  this  way  and  that. 
"  It  must  be  alive,"  thought  I ;  "is  it  a  fish  or  a  bird  ? " 
As  I  watched  the  vessel,  the  sun  was  going  down  and 
there  was  not  more  than  an  hour's  daylight.  The  wind 
was  very  light  and  variable,  which  accounted  for  the 
vessel  so  often  altering  her  course.  My  companion  came 
out  with  his  hands  full  of  smoking  tinder,  and  putting  it 
under  the  wood,  was  busy  blowing  it  into  a  flame.  The 
wood  was  soon  set  fire  to,  and  the  smoke  ascended  several 
feet  into  the  air. 

"  They'll  see  that,"  said  he. 

"  What  then,  it  has  eyes  ?  it  must  be  alive.  Does 
it  mind  the  wind  ? "  inquired  I,  having  no  answer  to 
my  first  remark,  "  for  look  there,  the  little  clouds  are 
coming  up  fast,"  and  I  pointed  to  the  horizon,  where 
some  small  clouds  were  rising  up  and  which  were, 
as   I   knew    from    experience    and    constantly   watching 


lo  The  Little  Savage 

the  sky,  a  sign  of  a  short  but  violent  gale,  or  tornado, 
of  which  we  usually  had  one,  if  not  two,  at  this  season 
of  the  year. 

"  Yes ;  confound  it,"  replied  my  companion,  grinding 
his  teeth,  "  it  will  blow  her  off!     That's  my  luck." 

In  the  meantime,  the  smoke  ascended  in  the  air  and 
the  vessel  approached  nearer  and  nearer,  until  she  was 
within,  I  suppose,  two  miles  of  the  island,  and  then 
it  fell  quite  calm.  My  companion  threw  more  water 
on  to  increase  the  smoke,  and  the  vessel  now  hauling 
up  her  courses,  I  perceived  that  there  were  people  on 
board,  and  while  I  was  arranging  my  ideas  as  to  what 
the  vessel  might  be,  my  companion  cried  out — **  They  see 
us,  they  see  us  !  there's  hope  now.  Confound  it,  I've 
been  here  long  enough.  Hurrah  for  old  England  !  "  and 
he  commenced  dancing  and  capering  about  like  a  madman. 
At  last  he  said, 

"Look  out  and  see  if  she  sends  a  boat,  while  I  go  into 
the  cabin." 

"  What's  a  boat  ?  "  said  I. 

"  Out,  you  fool !  tell  me  if  you  see  anything," 

"  Yes,  I  do  see  something,"  replied  I.  "  Look  at  the 
squall  coming  along  the  water,  it  will  be  here  very  soon  ; 
and  see  how  thick  the  clouds  are  getting  up  :  we  shall 
have  as  much  wind  and  rain  as  we  had  the  time  before 
last,  when  the  birds  came." 

"  Confound  it,"  replied  he,  "  I  wish  they'd  lower  a 
boat,  at  all  events  ; "  and  so  saying,  he  went  into  the 
cabin,  and  I  perceived  that  he  was  busy  at  his  bed- 
place. 

My  eyes  were  still  fixed  upon  the  squall,  as  I  watched 
it  advancing  at  a  furious  speed  on  the  surface  of  the 
water  ;  at  first  it  was  a  deep  black  line  on  the  horizon, 
but  as  it  approached  the  vessel,  it  changed  to  white ;  the 
surface  of  the  water  was  still  smooth.  The  clouds  were 
not  more  than  ten  degrees  above  the  horizon,  although 
they  were  thick  and  opaque — but  at  this  season  of  the 
year,  these   tornadoes,  as  I  may  call  them,  visited   us  ; 


The  Little  Savage  ii 

sometimes  we  had  one,  sometimes  more,  and  it  was  only 
when  these  gusts  came  on  that  we  had  any  rain  below. 
On  board  of  the  vessel — I  speak  now  from  my  after 
knowledge — they  did  not  appear  to  be  aware  of  the 
danger ;  the  sails  were  all  set  and  flapping  against  the 
masts.  At  last,  I  perceived  a  small  object  close  to  the 
vessel ;  this  I  presumed  was  the  boat  which  my  companion 
looked  for.  It  was  like  a  young  vessel  close  to  the  old 
one,  but  I  said  nothing  ;  as  I  was  watching  and  wondering 
what  effect  the  rising  wind  would  have  upon  her,  for  the 
observations  of  my  companion  had  made  me  feel  that  it 
was  important.  After  a  time,  I  perceived  that  the  white 
sails  were  disappearing,  and  that  the  forms  of  men  were 
very  busy,  and  moving  on  board,  and  the  boat  went  back 
to  the  side  of  the  vessel.  The  fact  is,  they  had  not 
perceived  the  squall  until  it  was  too  late,  for  in  another 
moment  almost,  I  saw  that  the  vessel  bowed  down  to  the 
fury  of  the  gale,  and  after  that,  the  mist  was  so  great  that 
I  couldn't  see  her  any  more. 

*'  Is  she  sending  a  boat,  boy  ?  "  cried  my  companion. 

*'I  can't  see  her,"  replied  I;  "for  she  is  hidden  by 
the  wind." 

As  I  said  this,  the  tornado  reached  to  where  we  stood, 
and  threw  me  off  my  legs  to  the  entrance  of  the  cabin  ; 
and  with  the  wind  came  down  a  torrent  of  rain,  which 
drenched  us,  and  the  clouds  covered  the  whole  of  the 
firmament,  which  became  dark;  the  lightning  darted 
in  every  direction,  with  peals  of  thunder  which  were 
deafening.  I  crawled  into  the  cabin,  into  which  the  rain 
beat  in  great  fury  and  flowed  out  again  in  a  small  river. 

My  companion  sat  near  me,  lowering  and  silent.  For 
two  hours  the  tornado  lasted  without  interruption  ;  the 
sun  had  set,  and  the  darkness  was  opaque.  It  was  im- 
possible to  move  against  the  force  of  the  wind  and  the 
deluge  of  water  which  descended.  Speak,  we  did  not, 
but  shut  our  eyes  against  the  lightning,  and  held  our 
fingers  to  our  ears  to  deaden  the  noise  of  the  thunder, 
which  burst   upon  us   in  the  most  awful   manner.     My 


12  The  Little  Savage 

companion  groaned  at  intervals,  whether  from  fear,  I 
know  not ;  I  had  no  fear,  for  I  did  not  know  the  danger, 
or  that  there  was  a  God  to  judge  the  earth. 

Gradually  the  fury  of  the  gale  abated,  the  rain  was 
only  heavy  at  intervals,  and  we  could  now  hear  the 
beating  of  the  waves,  as  they  dashed  against  the  rocks 
beneath  us.  The  sky  also  cleared  up  a  little,  and  we 
could  dimly  discern  the  white  foam  of  the  breakers.  I 
crawled  out  of  the  cabin,  and  stood  upon  the  platform  in 
front,  straining  my  eyes  to  see  the  vessel.  A  flash  of 
lightning,  for  a  second,  revealed  her  to  me ;  she  was 
dismasted,  rolling  in  the  awful  breakers,  which  bore 
her  down  upon  the  high  rocks,  not  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  her. 

**  There  it  is,"  exclaimed  I,  as  the  disappearance  of 
the  lightning  left  me  in  darkness,  more  opaque  than 
ever. 

**  She's  done  for,"  growled  my  companion,  who,  I  was 
not  till  then  aware,  stood  by  my  side.  "  No  hopes  this 
time,  confound  it  !  "  Then  he  continued  for  some  time 
to  curse  and  swear  awfully,  as  I  afterwards  discovered, 
for  I  did  not  then  know  what  was  cursing  and  swearing. 

"  There  she  is  again,"  said  I,  as  another  flash  of 
lightning  revealed  the  position  of  the  vessel. 

**  Yes,  and  she  won't  be  there  long ;  in  five  minutes 
she'll  be  dashed  to  atoms,  and  every  soul  perish." 

"  What  are  souls  ? "  inquired  I. 

My  companion  gave  me  no  reply. 

"  I  will  go  down  to  the  rocks,"  said  I,  "  and  see  what 
goes  on." 

"  Go,"  said  he,  "  and  share  their  fate." 


Chapter  III 

I  LEFT   him,  and   commenced   a   careful  descent   of  the 
precipices   by   which   we   were    surrounded,   but,   before 


The  Little  Savage  13 

I  had  gone  fifty  paces,  another  flash  of  lightning  was 
followed  up  by  a  loud  shriek,  which  arrested  my  steps. 
Where  the  noise  came  from,  I  could  not  tell,  but  I  heard 
my  companion  calling  to  me  to  come  back.  I  obeyed 
him,  and  found  him  standing  where  I  had  left  him. 

"  You  called  me,  master  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  did  ;  take  my  hand,  and  lead  me  to  the  cabin." 

I  obeyed  him,  wondering  why  he  asked  me  so  to  do. 
He  gained  his  bed-place,  and  threw  himself  down  on  it. 

"  Bring  the  kid  full  of  water,"  said  he — "  quick  !  " 

I  brought  it,  and  he  bathed  his  head  and  face.  After  a 
time,  he  threw  himself  back  upon  the  bed-place,  and 
groaned  heavily. 

"  O  God  !  it's  all  over  with  me,"  said  he  at  last.  "I 
shall  live  and  die  in  this  cursed  hole." 

**  What's  the  matter,  master  ?  "  said  I. 

He  gave  me  no  answer,  but  lay  groaning  and  occasionally 
cursing.  After  a  time,  he  was  still,  and  then  I  went  out 
again.  The  tornado  was  now  over,  and  the  stars  were  to 
be  seen  here  and  there,  but  still  the  wind  was  strong  and 
the  wild  clouds  flew  fast.  The  shores  of  the  island  were 
one  mass  of  foam,  which  was  dashed  high  in  the  air  and 
fell  upon  the  black  rocks.  I  looked  for  the  vessel,  and 
could  see  nothing — the  day  was  evidently  dawning,  and 
I  sat  down  and  waited  its  coming.  My  companion  was 
apparently  asleep,  for  he  lay  without  motion  or  noise. 
That  some  misfortune  had  happened,  I  was  convinced,  but 
what,  I  knew  not,  and  I  passed  a  long  time  in  conjecture, 
dividing  my  thoughts  between  him  and  the  vessel.  At 
last  the  daylight  appeared — the  weather  was  moderating 
fast,  although  the  waves  still  beat  furiously  against  the 
rocky  shore.  I  could  see  nothing  of  the  vessel,  and  I 
descended  the  path,  now  slippery  and  insecure  from  the 
heavy  fall  of  rain,  and  went  as  near  to  the  edge  of  the 
rocks  as  the  breaking  billows  would  permit.  I  walked 
along,  occasionally  drenched  by  the  spray,  until  I  arrived 
where  I  had  last  seen  the  vessel.  The  waves  were 
dashing  and  tossing  about,  as  if  in  sport,  fragments  of 


14  The  Little  Savage 

timber,  casks,  and  spars  ;  but  that  was  all  I  could  see, 
except  a  mast  and  rigging,  which  lay  alongside  of  the 
rocks,  sometimes  appearing  above  them  on  the  summit 
of  the  waves,  then  descending  far  out  of  my  sight,  for  I 
dared  not  venture  near  enough  to  the  edge  to  look  over. 
"Then  the  vessel  is  dashed  to  pieces,  as  my  companion 
said,"  thought  I.  **  I  wonder  how  she  was  made."  I 
remained  about  an  hour  on  the  rocks,  and  then  turned 
back  to  the  cabin.  I  found  my  companion  awake,  and 
groaning  heavily. 

"  There  is  no  ship,"  said  I,  "  nothing  but  pieces  of 
wood  floating  about." 

"  I  know  that,"  replied  he ;  "  but  what  do  I  care 
now  ? " 

"  I  thought  by  your  making  a  smoke,  that  you  did 
care." 

"  Yes,  I  did  then,  but  now  I  am  blind,  I  shall  never  see 
a  ship  or  anything  else  again.  God  help  me  !  I  shall  die 
and  rot  on  this  cursed  island." 

"  Blind,  what  is  blind  ?  "  inquired  I. 

"  The  lightning  has  burned  out  my  eyes,  and  I  can  see 
nothing — I  cannot  help  myself — I  cannot  walk  about — I 
cannot  do  anything,  and  I  suppose  you  will  leave  me  here 
to  die  like  a  dog." 

"  Can't  you  see  me  ?  " 

"  No,  all  is  dark,  dark  as  night,  and  will  be  as  long  as  I 
live."  And  he  turned  on  his  bed-place  and  groaned.  "  I 
had  hope,  I  lived  in  hope — it  has  kept  me  alive  for  many 
weary  years,  but  now  hope  is  gone,  and  I  care  not  if  I  die 
to-morrow." 

And  then  he  started  up  and  turned  his  face  towards  me, 
and  I  saw  that  there  was  no  light  in  his  eyes. 

"  Bring  me  some  more  water,  do  you  hear  ? "  said  he, 
angrily.     **  Be  quick,  or  Til  make  you." 

But  I  now  fully  comprehended  his  condition,  and  how 
powerless  he  was.  My  feelings,  as  I  have  before  said, 
were  anything  but  cordial  towards  him,  and  this  renewed 
violence  and  threatening  manner  had  its   effect.     I  was 


The  Little  Savage  15 

now,  I  suppose,  about  twelve  or  thirteen  years  old — 
strong  and  active.  I  had  more  than  once  felt  inclined 
to  rebel,  and  measure  my  strength  against  his.  Irritated, 
therefore,  at  his  angry  language,  I  replied — 

**  Go  for  the  water  yourself." 

"  Ah  ! "  sighed  he,  after  a  pause  of  some  seconds, 
**  that  I  might  have  expected.  But  let  me  once  get  you 
into  my  hands,  I'll  make  you  remember  it." 

**  I  care  not  if  I  were  in  your  hands,"  replied  I ;  *'  I  am 
as  strong  as  you."  For  I  had  thought  so  many  a  day,  and 
meant  to  prove  it. 

**  Indeed  !  "  well,  come  here,  and  let  us  try." 

"  No,  no,"  replied  I ;  "  Fm  not  such  a  fool  as  you  say  I 
am — not  that  I'm  afraid  of  you  ;  for  I  shall  have  an  axe  in 
my  hand  always  ready,  and  you  will  not  find  another." 

**  I  wish  that  I  had  tossed  you  over  the  cliffs  when  you 
were  a  child,"  said  he,  bitterly,  "  instead  of  nursing  you 
and  bringing  you  up." 

**  Then  why  have  you  not  been  kind  to  me  ?  As  far 
back  as  I  can  remember  you  have  always  treated  me  ill ; 
you  have  made  me  work  for  you  ;  and  yet  never  even 
spoken  kindly  to  me.  I  have  wanted  to  know  things,  and 
you  have  never  answered  my  questions,  but  called  me  a 
fool,  and  told  me  to  hold  my  tongue.  You  have  made  me 
hate  you,  and  you  have  often  told  me  how  you  hated  me 
— you  know  you  have." 

"  It's  true,  quite  true,"  replied  he,  as  if  talking  to  him- 
self. **I  have  done  all  that  he  says,  and  I  have  hated 
him.     But  I  have  had  cause.     Come  here,  boy." 

"  No,"  replied  I  •,  "do  you  come  here.  You  have  been 
master,  and  I  have  been  boy,  long  enough.  Now  I  am 
master  and  you  are  boy,  and  you  shall  find  it  so." 

Having  said  this,  I  walked  out  of  the  cabin  and  left  him. 
He  cried  out,  **  Don't  leave  me,"  but  I  heeded  him  not, 
and  sat  down  at  the  edge  of  the  flat  ledge  of  the  rock 
before  the  cabin.  Looking  at  the  white  dancing  waves, 
and  deep  in  my  own  thoughts,  I  considered  a  long  while 
how  I  should  behave  towards  him.     I  did  not  wish  him  to 


1 6  The  Little  Savage 

die,  as  I  knew  he  must  if  I  left  him.  He  could  not  obtain 
water  from  the  rill  without  a  great  chance  of  falling  over 
the  cliff.  In  fact,  I  was  now  fully  aware  of  his  helpless 
state  ;  to  prove  it  to  myself,  I  rose  and  shut  my  own  eyes  ; 
tried  if  I  could  venture  to  move  on  such  dangerous 
ground,  and  I  felt  sure  that  I  could  not.  He  was  then  in 
my  power  ;  he  could  do  nothing  ;  he  must  trust  to  me  for 
almost  everything.  I  had  said,  let  what  would  follow,  I 
would  be  master  and  he  boy ;  but  that  could  not  be,  as 
I  must  still  attend  upon  him,  or  he  would  die.  At  last  the 
thought  came  suddenly  upon  me — I  will  be  master,  never- 
theless, for  now  he  shall  answer  me  all  my  questions,  tell 
me  all  he  knows,  or  he  shall  starve.  He  is  in  my  power. 
He  shall  now  do  what  I  have  ever  tried  to  make  him  do, 
and  he  has  ever  refused.  Having  thus  arranged  my  plans, 
I  returned  to  the  cabin,  and  said  to  him : 

"  Hear  what  I  say — I  will  be  kind  to  you,  and  not  leave 
you  to  starve,  if  you  will  do  what  I  ask." 

"  And  what  is  that  ? "  replied  he. 

**■  For  a  long  while  I  have  asked  you  many  questions, 
and  you  have  refused  to  answer  them.  Instead  of  telling 
me  what  I  would  know,  you  have  beaten  or  thrown 
stones  at  me,  called  me  names,  and  threatened  me.  I  now 
give  you  your  choice — either  you  shall  promise  to  answer 
every  question  that  I  put  to  you,  or  you  may  live  how 
you  can,  for  I  shall  leave  you  to  help  yourself.  If  you 
do  as  I  wish,  I  will  do  all  I  can  to  help  you,  but  if  you 
will  not,  thank  yourself  for  what  may  happen.  Recollect, 
I  am  master  now  ;  so  take  your  choice." 

"  Well,"  replied  he  slowly,  "  it's  a  judgment  upon 
me,  and  I  must  agree  to  it.     I  will  do  what  you  wish." 

"Well,  then,  to  begin,"  said  I,  "I  have  often  asked 
you  what  your  name  was,  and  what  was  mine.  I  must 
call  you  something,  and  Master  I  will  not,  for  I  am  master 
now.     What  is  your  name  ? " 

He  groaned,  ground  his  teeth,  and  then  said,  **  Edward 
Jackson." 

*'  Edward  Jackson  !  very  well ;  and  my  name  ?  " 


The  Little  Savage  17 

"  No,  I  cannot  bear  the  name.  I  cannot  say  it,"  replied 
he,  angrily. 

"  Be  it  so,"  replied  I.     "  Then  I  leave  you." 

"Will  you  bring  me  some  water  for  my  eyes?  they 
burn,"  said  he. 

"No,  I  will  not,  nor  anything  else,  unless  you  tell  me 
my  name." 

"  Frank  Henniker — and  curses  on  it." 

"  Frank  Henniker.  Well,  now  you  shall  have  the 
water." 

I  went  out,  filled  a  kid,  and  put  it  by  his  side. 

"There  is  the  water,  Jackson;  if  you  want  anything, 
call  me.     I  shall  be  outside." 

"  I  have  gained  the  mastery,"  thought  I, — "  it  will  be 
my  turn  now.  He  don't  like  to  answer,  but  he  shall, 
or  he  shall  starve.  Why  does  he  feel  so  angry  at  my 
name  ?  Henniker  !  what  is  the  meaning  of  Henniker, 
I  wonder  ?  I  will  make  him  tell  me.  Yes,  he  shall  tell 
me  everything."  I  may  here  observe,  that  as  for  pity 
and  compassion,  I  did  not  know  such  feelings.  I  had 
been  so  ill-treated,  that  I  only  felt  that  might  was  right ; 
and  this  right  I  determined  upon  exercising  to  the  utmost. 
I  felt  an  inconceivable  pleasure  at  the  idea  of  my  being 
the  master,  and  he  the  boy.  I  felt  the  love  of  power, 
the  pride  of  superiority.  I  then  revolved  in  my  mind 
the  daily  task  which  I  would  set  him,  before  he  should 
receive  his  daily  sustenance.  He  should  talk  now  as 
much  as  I  pleased,  for  I  was  the  master.  I  had  been 
treated  as  a  slave,  and  I  was  now  fully  prepared  to  play 
the  tyrant.  Mercy  and  compassion  I  knew  not.  I  had 
never  seen  them  called  forth,  and  I  felt  them  not.  I  sat 
down  on  the  flat  rock  for  some  time,  and  then  it  occurred 
to  me  that  I  would  turn  the  course  of  the  water  which 
fell  into  the  hole  at  the  edge  of  the  cliff;  so  that  if  he 
crawled  there,  he  would  not  be  able  to  obtain  any.  I 
did  so,  and  emptied  the  hole.  The  water  was  now  only 
to  be  obtained  by  climbing  up,  and  it  was  out  of  his 
power   to   obtain   a   drop.     Food,   of   course,   he   could 

L.S.  B 


i8  The  Little  Savage 

obtain,  as  the  dried  birds  were  all  piled  up  at  the  farther 
end  of  the  cabin,  and  I  could  not  well  remove  them  ;  but 
what  was  food  without  water  ?  I  was  turning  in  my 
mind  what  should  be  the  first  question  to  put  to  him  ; 
and  I  had  decided  that  I  would  have  a  full  and  particular 
account  of  how  the  vessel  had  been  wrecked  on  the 
island,  and  who  were  my  father  and  mother,  and  why 
I  was  named  Henniker — when  I  was  roused  by  hearing 
Jackson  (as  I  shall  in  future  call  him)  crying  out,  "  Boy, 
boy  !  "  "  Boy,  indeed,"  thought  I — "  no  longer  boy," 
and  I  gave  no  reply.  Again  he  called,  and  at  last  he 
cried  out,  "Henniker,"  but  I  had  been  ruffled  by  his 
calling  me  boy,  and  I  would  not  answer  him.  At  last 
he  fairly  screamed  my  name,  and  then  was  silent.  After 
a  moment,  I  perceived  that  he  crawled  out  of  his  bed- 
place,  and  feeling  by  the  sides  of  the  cabin,  contrived  on 
his  hands  and  knees  to  crawl  in  the  direction  of  the  hole 
into  which  the  water  had  previously  been  received  j  and 
I  smiled  at  what  I  knew  would  be  his  disappointment 
when  he  arrived  there.  He  did  so  at  last :  put  his  hand 
to  feel  the  edge  of  the  hole,  and  then  down  into  it  to 
feel  for  the  water;  and  when  he  found  that  there  was 
none,  he  cursed  bitterly,  and  I  laughed  at  his  vexation. 
He  then  felt  all  the  way  down  where  the  water  had 
fallen,  and  found  that  the  course  of  it  had  been  stopped, 
and  he  dared  not  attempt  anything  further.  He  dashed 
his  clenched  hand  against  the  rock.  "  Oh  !  that  I  had 
him  in  this  grasp — if  it  were  but  for  one  moment.  I 
would  not  care  if  I  died  the  next." 

"  I  do  not  doubt  you,"  replied  I  to  him,  above,  **  but 
you  have  not  got  me  in  your  hands,  and  you  will  not.  Go 
in  to  bed  directly — quick,"  cried  I,  throwing  a  piece  of 
rock  at  him,  which  hit  him  on  the  head.  **  Crawl  back  as 
fast  as  you  can,  you  fool,  or  I'll  send  another  at  your  head 
directly.     Til  tame  you,  as  you  used  to  say  to  me." 

The  blow  on  the  head  appeared  to  have  confused  him  ; 
but  after  a  time  he  crawled  back  to  his  bed-place,  and 
threw  himself  down  with  a  heavy  groan. 


The  Little  Savage  19 


Chapter  IV 

I  THEN  went  down  to  the  water's  edge  to  see  if  I  could 
find  anything  from  the  wreck,  for  the  water  was  smooth, 
and  no  longer  washed  over  the  rocks  of  the  island.  Except 
fragments  of  wood,  I  perceived  nothing  until  I  arrived  at 
the  pool  where  we  were  accustomed  to  bathe  ;  and  I  found 
that  the  sea  had  thrown  into  it  two  articles  of  large  dimen- 
sions— one  was  a  cask  of  the  size  of  a  puncheon,  which  lay- 
in  about  a  foot  of  water  farthest  from  the  seaward ;  and 
the  other  was  a  seaman's  chest.  What  these  things  were 
I  did  not  then  know,  and  I  wish  the  reader  to  recollect 
that  a  great  portion  of  this  narrative  is  compiled  from  after 
knowledge.  The  cask  was  firm  in  the  sand,  and  I  could 
not  move  it.  The  chest  was  floating ;  I  hauled  it  on  the 
rocks  without  difficulty,  and  then  proceeded  to  open  it.  It 
was  some  time  before  I  could  discover  how,  for  I  had  never 
seen  a  lock,  or  a  hinge  in  my  life ;  but  at  last,  finding  that 
the  lid  was  the  only  portion  of  the  chest  which  yielded,  I 
contrived,  with  a  piece  of  rock,  to  break  it  open.  I  found 
in  it  a  quantity  of  seamen's  clothes,  upon  which  I  put  no 
value  ;  but  some  of  the  articles  I  immediately  comprehended 
the  use  of,  and  they  filled  me  with  delight.  There  were 
two  new  tin  pannikins,  and  those  would  hold  water.  There 
were  three  empty  wine  bottles,  a  hammer,  a  chisel,  gimlet, 
and  some  other  tools,  also  three  or  four  fishing-lines  many 
fathoms  long.  But  what  pleased  me  most  were  two  knives, 
one  shutting  up,  with  a  lanyard  sheath  to  wear  round  the 
waist ;  and  the  other  an  American  long  knife,  in  a  sheath, 
which  is  usually  worn  by  them  in  the  belt.  Now,  three 
or  four  years  back,  Jackson  had  the  remains  of  a  clasp 
knife — that  is,  there  was  about  an  inch  of  the  blade  remain- 
ing— and  this,  as  may  be  supposed,  he  valued  very  much  ; 
indeed,  miserable  as  the  article  was,  in  our  destitute  state 
it  was  invaluable. 

This  knife  he  had  laid  on  the  rock  when  fishing,  and  it 


20  The  Little  Savage 

had  been  dragged  into  the  sea  as  his  line  ran  out ;  and  he 
was  for  many  days  inconsolable  for  its  loss.  "We  had  used 
it  for  cutting  open  the  birds  when  we  skinned  them,  and, 
indeed  this  remains  of  a  knife  had  been  always  in  request. 
Since  the  loss  of  it,  we  had  had  hard  work  to  get  the  skins 
off  the  birds  ;  I  therefore  well  knew  the  value  of  these 
knives,  which  I  immediately  secured.  The  remainder  of 
the  articles  in  the  chest,  which  was  quite  full,  I  laid  upon 
the  rocks,  with  the  clothes,  to  dry ;  of  most  of  them  I  did 
not  know  the  use,  and  consequently  did  not  prize  them  at 
the  time.  It  was  not  until  afterwards,  when  I  had  taken 
them  to  my  companion,  that  I  learned  their  value.  I  may 
as  well  here  observe,  that  amongst  these  articles  were  two 
books,  and,  from  the  positive  commands  of  my  companion, 
not  to  touch  the  book  in  the  cabin,  I  looked  upon  them 
with  a  degree  of  awe,  and  hesitated  upon  taking  them  in 
my  hand ;  but,  at  last,  I  put  them  out  to  dry  on  the  rocks, 
with  the  rest  of  the  contents  of  the  chest. 

I  felt  the  knives,  the  blades  were  sharp  ;  I  put  the  lan- 
yard of  the  clasp  knife  round  my  neck ;  the  sheath  knife, 
which  was  a  formidable  weapon,  I  made  fast  round  my 
waist,  with  a  piece  of  the  fishing  lines,  which  I  cut  off; 
and  I  then  turned  my  steps  towards  the  cabin,  as  night 
was  coming  on,  though  the  moon  was  high  in  the  heavens, 
and  shining  brightly.  On  my  return,  I  found  Jackson  in 
his  bed-place ;  he  heard  me  come  in,  and  asked  me,  in  a 
quiet  tone,  whether  I  would  bring  him  some  water  ?  I 
answered, 

"  No,  that  I  would  not,  for  what  he  had  said  about  me, 
and  what  he  would  do,  if  he  got  me  into  his  power.  I'll 
tame  you,"  cried  I.     ''I'm  master  now,  as  you  shall  find." 

*'  You  may  be,"  replied  he,  quickly,  "  but  still,  that  is 
no  reason  why  you  should  not  let  me  have  some  water. 
Did  I  ever  prevent  you  from  having  water  ? " 

"  You  never  had  to  fetch  it  for  me,"  I  rejoined,  **  or 
you  would  not  have  taken  the  trouble.  What  trouble 
would  you  take  for  me,  if  I  were  blind  now,  and  not  you  ? 
I  should  become  of  no  use  to  you,  and  you  would  leave 


J 


The  Little  Savage  21 

me  to  die.  You  only  let  me  live  that  you  might  make  me 
work  for  you,  and  beat  me  cruelly.  It's  my  turn  now — 
you're  the  boy,  and  I'm  the  master." 

The  reader  must  remember  that  I  did  not  know  the 
meaning  of  the  word  "boy";  my  idea  of  it  was,  that  it 
was  in  opposition  to  "  master,"  and  boy,  with  me,  had  the 
same  idea  as  the  word  "  slave." 

"Be  it  so,"  replied  he,  calmly.  **  I  shall  not  want 
water  long." 

There  was  a  quietness  about  Jackson  which  made  me 
suspect  him,  and  the  consequence  was,  that  although  I 
turned  into  my  bed-place,  which  was  on  the  ground  at  the 
side  of  the  cabin  opposite  to  his,  I  did  not  feel  inclined  to 
go  to  sleep,  but  remained  awake,  thinking  of  what  had 
passed.  It  was  towards  morning  when  I  heard  him  move  5 
my  face  being  turned  that  way,  I  had  no  occasion  to  stir 
to  watch  his  motions.  He  crept  very  softly  out  of  his 
bed-place  towards  me,  listening,  and  advancing  on  his 
knees,  not  more  than  a  foot  every  ten  seconds.  "  You 
want  me  in  your  grasp,"  thought  I,  "  come  along,"  and  I 
drew  my  American  knife  from  its  sheath,  without  noise, 
and  awaited  his  approach,  smiling  at  the  surprise  he  would 
meet  with.  I  allowed  him  to  come  right  up  to  me  ;  he 
felt  the  side  of  my  bed,  and  then  passed  his  right  hand 
over  to  seize  me.  I  caught  his  right  hand  with  my  left, 
and  passing  the  knife  across  his  wrist,  more  than  half 
divided  it  from  his  arm.  He  gave  a  shriek  of  surprise  and 
pain,  and  fell  back. 

"He  has  a  knife,"  exclaimed  he,  with  surprise,  holding 
his  severed  wrist  with  the  other  hand. 

"  Yes,  he  has  a  knife,  and  more  than  one,"  replied  I, 
"  and  you  see  that  he  knows  how  to  use  it.  Will  you 
come  again  ?  or  will  yon  believe  that  I'm  master  ?  " 

"  If  you  have  any  charity  or  mercy,  kill  me  at  once," 
said  he,  as  he  sat  up  in  the  moonlight,  in  the  centre  of  the 
floor  of  the  cabin. 

"  Charity  and  mercy,"  said  I,  "  what  are  they  ?  I  never 
heard  of  them." 


0.1  The  Little  Savage 

"Alas!  no,"  replied  he,  "I 
a  judgment  on  me — a  judgment  on  me  for  my  many  sins  ; 
Lord,  forgive  me !  First  my  eyes,  now  my  right  hand 
useless.     What  next,  O  Lord  of  Heaven  ? " 

*'Why,  your  other  hand  next,"  replied  I,  "if  you  try 
it  again." 

Jackson  made  no  reply.  He  attempted  to  crawl  back  to 
his  bed,  but,  faint  with  loss  of  blood,  he  dropped  senseless 
on  the  floor  of  the  cabin.  I  looked  at  him,  and  satisfied 
that  he  would  make  no  more  attempts  upon  me,  I  turned 
away,  and  fell  fast  asleep.  In  about  two  hours,  I  awoke, 
and  looking  round,  perceived  him  lying  on  the  floor,  where 
he  had  fallen  the  night  before.  I  went  to  him  and 
examined  him — was  he  asleep,  or  was  he  dead  ?  He  lay 
in  a  pool  of  blood.  I  felt  him,  and  he  was  quite  warm. 
It  was  a  ghastly  cut  on  his  wrist,  and  I  thought,  if  he  is 
dead,  he  will  never  tell  me  what  I  want  to  know.  I  knew 
that  he  bound  up  cuts  to  stop  the  blood.  I  took  some 
feathers  from  the  bed,  and  put  a  handful  on  the  wound. 
After  I  had  done  it,  I  bound  his  wrist  up  with  a  piece  of 
fishing-line  I  had  taken  to  secure  the  sheath  knife  round 
my  waist,  and  then  I  went  for  some  water.  I  poured  some 
down  his  throat ;  this  revived  him,  and  he  opened  his  eyes. 

"  Where  am  I  ?  "  said  he  faintly. 

"Where  are  you  ? — why,  in  the  cabin,"  said  I. 

"  Give  me  some  more  water." 

I  did  so,  for  I  did  not  wish  to  kill  him.  I  wanted  him 
to  live,  and  to  be  in  my  power.  After  drinking  the  water 
he  roused  himself,  and  crawled  back  to  his  bed-place.  I 
left  him  then,  and  went  down  to  bathe. 

The  reader  may  exclaim — What  a  horrid  tyrant  this 
boy  is — why,  he  is  as  bad  as  his  companion.  Exactly — I 
was  so — but  let  the  reader  reflect  that  I  was  made  so  by 
education.  From  the  time  that  I  could  first  remember,  I 
had  been  tyrannised  over ;  cufled,  kicked,  abused  and  ill- 
treated.  I  had  never  known  kindness.  Most  truly  was 
the  question  put  by  me,  "  Charity  and  mercy — what  are 
they  ? "     I  never  heard  of  them.     An   American   Indian 


The  Little  Savage  23 

has  kind  feelings — he  is  hospitable  and  generous — yet, 
educated  to  inflict,  and  receive,  the  severest  tortures  to  and 
from,  his  enemies,  he  does  the  first  with  the  most  savage 
and  vindictive  feelings,  and  submits  to  the  latter  with  indif- 
ference and  stoicism.  He  has,  indeed,  the  kindlier  feelings 
of  his  nature  exercised  ;  still,  this  changes  him  not.  He 
has  been  from  earliest  infancy  brought  up  to  cruelty,  and  he 
cannot  feel  that  it  is  wrong.  Now,  my  position  was  worse. 
I  had  never  seen  the  softer  feelings  of  our  nature  called 
into  play ;  I  knew  nothing  but  tyranny  and  oppression, 
hatred  and  vengeance.  It  was  therefore  not  surprising 
that,  when  my  turn  came,  I  did  to  others  as  I  had  been 
done  by.  Jackson  had  no  excuse  for  his  treatment  of  me, 
whereas,  I  had  every  excuse  for  retaliation.  He  did  know 
better,  I  did  not.  I  followed  the  ways  of  the  world  in 
the  petty  microcosm  in  which  I  had  been  placed.  I  knew 
not  of  mercy,  of  forgiveness,  charity,  or  goodwill.  I  knew 
not  that  there  was  a  God  ;  I  only  knew  that  might  was 
right,  and  the  most  pleasurable  sensation  which  I  felt,  was 
that  of  anxiety  for  vengeance,  combined  with  the  conscious- 
ness of  power. 

After  I  had  bathed,  I  again  examined  the  chest  and  its 
contents.  I  looked  at  the  books  without  touching  them. 
"  I  must  know  what  these  mean,"  thought  I,  **  and  I  will 
know "  My  thirst  for  knowledge  was  certainly  most 
remarkable,  in  a  boy  of  my  age  ;  I  presume  for  the  simple 
reason,  that  we  want  most  what  we  cannot  obtain  ;  and 
Jackson  having  invariably  refused  to  enlighten  me  on  any 
subject,  I  became  most  anxious  and  impatient  to  satisfy  the 
longing  which  increased  with  my  growth. 


Chapter  V 

For  three  days  did  Jackson  lie  on  his  bed  ;  I  supplied  him 
with  water,  but  he  did  not  eat  anything.  He  groaned 
heavily  at  times,  and  talked  much  to  himself,  and  I  heard 


24  The  Little  Savage 

him  ask  forgiveness  of  God,  and  pardon  for  his  sins.  I 
noted  this  dovi^n  for  an  explanation.  On  the  third  day,  he 
said  to  me, 

"  Henniker,  I  am  very  ill.  I  have  a  fever  coming  on, 
from  the  wound  you  have  given  me.  I  do  not  say  that  I 
did  not  deserve  it,  for  I  did,  and  I  know  that  I  have  treated 
you  ill,  and  that  you  must  hate  me,  but  the  question  is, 
do  you  wish  me  to  die  ?  " 

*' No,"  replied  I;  **I  want  you  to  live,  and  answer  all 
my  questions,  and  you  shall  do  so." 

"I  will  do  so,"  replied  he.  "I  have  done  wrong,  and 
I  will  make  amends.  Do  you  understand  me  ?  I  mean  to 
say,  that  I  have  been  very  cruel  to  you,  and  now  I  will  do 
all  you  wish,  and  answer  every  question  you  may  put  to 
me,  as  well  as  I  can." 

**  That  is  what  I  want,"  replied  I. 

"  I  know  it  is,  but  my  wound  is  festering  and  must  be 
washed  and  dressed.  The  feathers  make  it  worse.  Will 
you  do  this  for  me  ?  " 

I  thought  a  little,  and  recollected  that  he  was  still  in  my 
power,  as  he  could  not  obtain  water.  I  replied,  "  Yes,  I 
will." 

*'The  cord  hurts  it,  you  must  take  it  off." 

I  fetched  the  kid  of  water,  and  untied  the  cord,  and 
took  away  the  feathers,  which  had  matted  together  with 
the  flow  of  blood,  and  then  I  washed  the  wound  carefully. 
Looking  into  the  wound,  my  desire  of  information  induced 
me  to  say,  "  What  are  these  little  white  cords,  which  are 
cut  through  ? " 

"  They  are  the  sinews  and  tendons,"  replied  he,  "  by 
which  we  are  enabled  to  move  our  hands  and  fingers  j  now 
these  are  cut  through,  I  shall  not  have  the  use  of  my  hand 
again." 

*' Stop  a  moment,"  said  I,  rising  up,  "I  have  just 
thought  of  something."  I  ran  down  to  the  point  where 
the  chest  lay,  took  a  shirt  from  the  rock,  and  brought  it 
back  with  me,  and  tearing  it  into  strips,  I  bandaged  the 
wound. 


The  Little  Savage  25 

"  Where  did  you  get  that  hnen  ?  "  said  Jackson. 

I  told  him. 

"  And  you  got  the  knife  there,  too,"  said  he,  with  a 
sigh.     I  replied  in  the  affirmative. 

As  soon  as  I  had  finished,  he  told  me  he  vi^as  much 
easier,  and  said, 

"  I  thank  you." 

''  What  is  I  thank  you  ? "  replied  I. 

'*  It  means  that  I  am  grateful  for  what  you  have  done." 

**  And  what  is  grateful  ?  "  inquired  I  again.  "  You 
never  said  those  words  to  me  before." 

'*  Alas,  no,"  replied  he ;  **  it  had  been  better  if  I  had. 
I  mean  that  I  feel  kindly  towards  you,  for  having  bound 
up  my  wound,  and  would  do  anything  for  you  if  I  had  the 
power.  It  means,  that  if  I  had  my  eyesight,  as  I  had  a 
week  ago,  and  was  master,  as  I  then  was,  that  I  would  not 
kick  nor  beat  you,  but  be  kind  to  you.  Do  you  understand 
me  ? " 

"  Yes,"  replied  I,  "  I  think  I  do  ;  and  if  you  tell  me  all 
I  want  to  know  I  shall  beheve  you." 

"  That  I  will  as  soon  as  I  am  well  enough  ;  but  now  I 
am  too  ill — you  must  wait  a  day  or  two,  till  the  fever  has 
left  me." 

Satisfied  with  Jackson's  promise,  I  tended  him  carefully, 
and  washed  and  dressed  his  wound  for  the  two  following 
days.  He  said  that  he  felt  himself  much  better,  and  his 
language  to  me  was  so  kind  and  conciliatory,  that  I  hardly 
knew  what  to  make  of  it ;  but  this  is  certain,  that  it  had  a 
good  effect  upon  me,  and  gradually  the  hatred  and  ill-will 
that  I  bore  to  him  wore  off,  and  I  found  myself  handling 
him  tenderly,  and  anxious  not  to  give  him  more  pain 
than  was  necessary,  yet  without  being  aware  that  I  was 
prompted  by  better  feelings.  It  was  on  the  third  morning 
that  he  said, — 

**  I  can  talk  to  you  now  ;  what  do  you  want  to  know  .'* " 

"  I  want  to  know  the  whole  story  of  how  we  came  to 
this  island,  who  my  father  and  mother  v/ere,  and  why  you 
said  that  you  hated  me  and  my  name  .? " 


26  The  Little  Savaore 


O" 


"  That,"  said  Jackson,  after  a  silence  of  a  few  minutes, 
"  will  take  some  time.  I  could  soon  tell  it  you  if  it  were 
not  for  the  last  question, — why  I  hated  your  name  ?  But 
the  history  of  your  father  is  so  mixed  up  with  mine,  that  I 
cannot  well  tell  one  without  the  other.  I  may  as  well  begin 
with  my  own  history,  and  that  will  be  telling  you  both." 

"  Then  tell  it  me,"  replied  I,  "  and  do  not  tell  me  what 
is  not  true." 

"  No ;  I  will  tell  you  exactly  what  it  was,"  replied 
Jackson;  '*you  may  as  well  know  it  as  not. — Your  father 
and  I  were  both  born  in  England,  which  you  know  is  your 
country  by  birth,  and  you  also  know  that  the  language  we 
talk  is  English." 

"  I  did  not  know  it.  Tell  me  something  about  England 
before  you  say  any  more." 

I  will  not  trouble  the  reader  with  Jackson's  description 
of  England,  or  the  many  questions  which  I  put  to  him.  It 
was  night-fall  before  he  had  finished  answering,  and  before 
I  was  satisfied  with  the  information  imparted.  I  believe 
that  he  was  very  glad  to  hold  his  tongue,  for  he  complained 
of  being  tired,  and  I  dressed  his  wound  and  wetted  the 
bandage  with  cold  water  for  him  before  he  went  to  sleep. 

I  can  hardly  describe  to  the  reader  the  effect  which  this 
uninterrupted  flow  of  language  had  upon  me ;  I  was 
excited  in  a  very  strange  way,  and  for  many  nights  after 
could  not  sleep  for  hours.  I  may  say  here,  I  did  not 
understand  a  great  proportion  of  the  meaning  of  the  words 
used  by  Jackson  ;  but  I  gathered  it  from  the  context,  as  I 
could  not  always  be  interrupting  him. 

It  is  astonishing  how  fast  ideas  breed  ideas,  and  how  a 
word,  the  meaning  of  which  I  did  not  understand  when  it 
was  first  used,  became  by  repetition  clear  and  intelligible ; 
not  that  I  always  put  the  right  construction  on  it,  but  if 
I  did  not  find  it  answer  when  used  at  another  time  to  my 
former  interpretation  of  it,  I  would  then  ask  and  obtain 
an  explanation.  This  did  not  however  occur  very  often. 
As  for  this  first  night,  I  was  positively  almost  drunk  with 
words,  and  remained  nearly  the  whole  of  it  arranging  and 


The  Little  Savage  27 

fixing  the  new  ideas  that  I  had  acquired.  My  feelings 
towards  Jackson  also  were  changed — that  is,  I  no  longer 
felt  hatred  or  ill-will  against  him.  These  were  swallowed 
up  in  the  pleasure  which  he  had  afforded  me,  and  I  looked 
upon  him  as  a  treasure  beyond  all  price, — not  but  that 
many  old  feelings  towards  him  returned  at  intervals,  for 
they  were  not  so  easily  disposed  of,  but  still  I  would  not 
for  the  world  have  lost  him  until  I  had  obtained  from  him 
all  possible  knowledge;  and  if  his  wound  did  not  look 
well  when  I  removed  the  bandage,  I  was  much  more 
distressed  than  he  was.  Indeed,  there  was  every  prospect 
of  our  ultimately  being  friends,  from  our  mutual  depend- 
ence on  each  other.  It  was  useless  on  his  part,  in  his 
present  destitute  condition,  to  nourish  feelings  of  animosity 
against  one  on  whose  good  offices  he  was  now  so  wholly 
dependant,  or  on  my  part,  against  one  who  was  creating 
for  me,  I  may  say,  new  worlds  for  imagination  and  thought 
to  dwell  on.  On  the  following  morning,  Jackson  narrated 
in  substance  (as  near  as  I  can  recollect)  as  follows  : — 

"I  was  not  intended  for  a  sailor.  I  was  taught  at  a 
good  school,  and  when  I  was  ten  years  old,  I  was  put  into 
a  house  of  business  as  a  clerk,  where  I  remained  at  the 
desk  all  day  long,  copying  into  ledgers  and  day-books,  in 
fact,  writing  what  was  required  of  me.  This  house  was 
connected  with  the  South  American  trade." 

"  Where  is  South  America  ?  "  said  I. 

**  You  had  better  let  me  tell  my  story,"  replied  Jackson, 
"  and  after  I  have  done,  you  can  ask  any  questions  you 
like,  but  if  you  stop  me,  it  will  take  a  week  to  finish  it ; 
yesterday  we  lost  the  whole  day." 

"  That's  very  true,"  replied  I,  "  then  I  will  do  so." 

"There  were  two  other  clerks  in  the  counting-house — 
the  head  clerk,  whose  name  was  Manvers,  and  your  father, 
who  was  in  the  counting-house  but  a  few  months  before 
me.  Our  master,  whose  name  was  Evelyn,  was  very 
particular  with  both  your  father  and  myself,  scanning  our 
work  daily,  and  finding  fault  when  we  deserved  it.  This 
occasioned  a  rivalry  between  us,  which  made  us  both  very 


28  The  Little  Savage 

active,  and  I  received  praise  quite  as  often  as  he  did.  On 
Sunday,  Mr  Evelyn  used  to  ask  your  father  and  me  to 
spend  the  day.  We  went  to  church  in  the  forenoon  and 
dined  with  him.  He  had  a  daughter  a  little  younger  than 
we  were.  She  was  your  mother.  Both  of  us,  as  we  grew 
up,  were  very  attentive  to  her,  and  anxious  to  be  in  her 
good  graces.  I  cannot  say  which  was  preferred  at  first,  but 
I  rather  think  that  if  anything  I  was  the  favourite,  during  the 
first  two  years  of  our  being  acquainted  with  her.  I  was  more 
lively  and  a  better  companion  than  your  father,  who  was 
inclined  to  be  grave  and  thoughtful.  We  had  been  about 
four  years  in  the  counting-house,  when  my  mother  died — 
my  father  had  been  dead  some  time  before  I  went  into  it 
— and  at  her  death  I  found  my  share  of  her  property  to 
amount  to  about  ^2500.  But  I  was  not  yet  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  I  could  not  receive  it  for  another  year. 
Mr  Evelyn,  who  had  till  then  every  reason  to  be  satisfied 
with  my  conduct,  used  to  joke  with  me,  and  say  that  as 
soon  as  I  was  of  age,  he  would  allow  me,  if  I  chose  it,  to 
put  the  money  in  the  business,  and  thus  obtain  a  small 
share  in  it — and  such  was  my  intention,  and  I  looked 
forward  to  bright  prospects  and  the  hope  of  one  day  being 
married  to  your  mother,  and  I  have  no  doubt  but  such 
would  have  been  the  case,  had  I  still  conducted  myself 
properly.  But,  before  I  was  of  age,  I  made  some  very 
bad  aquaintances,  and  soon  ran  into  expenses  which  I  could 
not  afford — and  the  worst  was,  that  I  contracted  a  habit 
of  sitting  up  late  at  night,  and  drinking  to  excess,  which 
I  never  have  since  got  over,  which  proved  my  ruin  then, 
and  has  proved  my  ruin  through  life.  This  little  fortune 
of  mine  not  only  gave  me  consequence,  but  was  the  cause 
of  my  thinking  very  highly  of  myself.  I  now  was  more 
particular  in  my  attentions  to  Miss  Evelyn,  and  was 
graciously  received  by  her  father ;  neither  had  I  any  reason 
to  complain  of  my  treatment  from  the  young  lady.  As  for 
your  father,  he  was  quite  thrown  into  the  back-ground. 
He  had  no  property  nor  hope  of  any,  except  what  he 
might  hereafter  secure  by  his  diligence  and  good  conduct ; 


The  Little  Savage  29 

and  the  attention  I  received  from  Mr  Evelyn,  and  also  the 
head  clerk,  who  had  an  idea  that  I  was  to  be  a  partner  and 
consequently  would  become  his  superior,  made  him  very 
melancholy  and  unhappy — for  I  believe  that  then  he  was 
quite  as  much  in  love  with  Miss  Evelyn  as  I  was  myself; 
and  I  must  tell  you,  that  my  love  for  her  was  unbounded, 
and  she  well  deserved  it.  But  all  these  happy  prospects 
were  overthrown  by  my  own  folly.  As  soon  as  it  was 
known  that  I  had  property  left  to  me,  I  was  surrounded  by 
many  others  who  requested  to  be  introduced  to  me,  and 
my  evenings  were  passed  in  what  I  considered  very  good 
company,  but  which  proved  the  very  reverse.  By  degrees 
I  took  to  gambling,  and  after  a  time,  lost  more  money  than 
I  could  afford  to  pay.  This  caused  me  to  have  recourse  to  a 
Jew,  who  advanced  me  loans  at  a  large  interest  to  be  repaid 
at  my  coming  of  age.  Trying  to  win  back  my  money,  I  at 
last  found  myself  indebted  to  the  Jew  for  the  sum  of  nearly 
;^looo.  The  more  that  I  became  involved,  the  more  reck- 
less I  became.  Mr  Evelyn  perceived  that  I  kept  late  hours, 
and  looked  haggard,  as  I  well  might ;  indeed,  my  position 
had  now  become  very  awkward.  Mr  Evelyn  knew  well 
the  sum  that  had  been  left  me,  and  how  was  I  to  account 
to  him  for  the  deficiency,  if  he  proposed  that  I  should  put 
it  into  the  business  ?  I  should  be  ruined  in  his  opinion, 
and  he  never,  I  was  convinced,  would  entrust  the  happi- 
ness of  his  daughter  to  a  young  man  who  had  been  guilty 
of  such  irregularities.  At  the  same  time,  my  love  for  her 
nearly  amounted  to  adoration.  Never  was  there  a  more 
miserable  being  than  I  was  for  the  last  six  months  previous 
to  my  coming  of  age,  and  to  drown  my  misery  I  plunged 
into  every  excess,  and  seldom,  if  ever,  went  to  bed  but  in 
a  state  of  intoxication.  Scheme  after  scheme  did  I  propose 
to  enable  me  to  conceal  my  fault,  but  I  could  hit  upon 
nothing.  The  time  approached  ;  I  was  within  a  few  days 
of  coming  of  age,  when  Mr  Evelyn  sent  for  me  and  then 
spoke  to  me  seriously,  saying,  that  out  of  regard  to  the 
memory  of  my  father,  with  whom  he  had  been  very 
intimate,  he  was  willing  to  allow  me  to  embark  my  little 


30  The  Little  Savage 

capital  in  the  business,  and  that  he  hoped  that  by  my  good 
conduct  and  application  I  might  soon  become  a  useful 
partner.  I  stammered  some  reply  which  surprised  him; 
and  he  asked  me  to  be  more  explicit.  I  stated  that  I 
considered  my  capital  too  small  to  be  of  much  use  in  such 
a  business  as  his,  and  that  I  preferred  trying  some  quick 
method  of  doubling  it  j  that  as  soon  as  I  had  so  done 
I  would  accept  his  offer  with  gratitude.  *  As  you  please,' 
replied  he  coolly ;  *  but  take  care,  that  in  risking  all,  you 
do  not  lose  all.  Of  course,  you  are  your  own  master,' 
and  so  saying,  he  left  me,  apparently  much  displeased  and 
mortified.  But  circumstances  occurred,  which  exposed  the 
whole  affair.  When  in  company  with  my  evening  com- 
panions, I  stated  my  intentions  of  trying  my  fortune  in 
the  East  Indies,  not  seriously,  but  talking  at  random. 
This  came  to  the  ears  of  the  Jew  of  whom  I  had  borrowed 
the  money ;  he  thought  that  I  intended  to  leave  the 
kingdom  without  taking  up  my  bonds,  and  immediately 
repaired  to  Mr  Evelyn's  counting-house,  to  communicate 
with  the  head  clerk,  and  ascertain  if  the  report  was  correct, 
stating  also  the  sums  I  was  indebted  to  him.  The  head 
clerk  informed  Mr  Evelyn,  and  on  the  day  upon  which  I 
became  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  sent  for  me  into  his 
private  room,  and,  after  some  remonstrances,  to  which  I 
replied  very  haughtily,  it  ended  in  my  being  dismissed. 
The  fact  was,  that  Mr  Evelyn  had,  since  his  last  interview 
with  me,  made  inquiries,  and  finding  out  I  had  been  living 
a  very  riotous  life,  he  had  determined  upon  my  leaving 
his  service.  As  soon  as  my  first  burst  of  indignation  was 
over,  I  felt  what  I  had  lost ;  my  attachment  to  Miss 
Evelyn  was  stronger  than  ever,  and  I  bitterly  deplored  my 
folly,  but  after  a  time,  as  usual,  I  had  recourse  to  the 
bottle,  and  to  drowning  my  cares  in  intemperance.  I 
tried  very  hard  to  obtain  an  interview  with  Miss  Evelyn 
previous  to  my  quitting  the  house,  but  this  Mr  Evelyn 
would  not  permit,  and  a  few  days  after,  sent  his  daughter 
away,  to  reside,  for  a  time  with  a  relation  in  the  country. 
I  embarked  my  capital  in  the  wine  trade,  and,  could  I  have 


The  Little  Savage  31 

restrained  myself  from  drinking,  should  have  been  success- 
ful, and  in  a  short  time  might  have  doubled  my  property, 
as  I  stated  to  Mr  Evelyn  ;  but  now,  I  had  become  an 
irreclaimable  drunkard,  and  when  that  is  the  case,  all  hope 
is  over.  My  affairs  soon  became  deranged,  and,  at  the 
request  of  my  partner,  they  were  wound  up,  and  I  found 
myself  with  my  capital  of  ;£'l5oo  reduced  to  ;j^iooo. 
"With  this,  I  resolved  to  try  my  fortune  in  shipping ; 
I  procured  a  share  in  a  brig,  and  sailed  in  her  myself. 
After  a  time,  I  was  sufficiently  expert  to  take  the  command 
of  her,  and  might  have  succeeded,  had  not  my  habit  of 
drinking  been  so  confirmed.  When  at  Ceylon,  I  fell  sick, 
and  was  left  behind.  The  brig  was  lost,  and  as  I  had 
forgotten  to  insure  my  portion  of  her,  I  was  ruined. 
I  struggled  long,  but  in  vain — intemperance  was  my 
curse,  my  bane,  the  millstone  at  my  neck,  which  dragged 
me  down  :  I  had  education,  talents,  and  energy,  and  at 
one  time,  capital,  but  all  were  useless ;  and  thus  did  I  sink 
down,  from  captain  of  a  vessel  to  mate,  from  mate  to 
second  mate,  until  I  at  last  found  myself  a  drunken  sailor 
before  the  mast.  Such  is  my  general  history  ;  to-morrow, 
I  will  let  you  know  how,  and  in  what  way,  your  father 
and  I  met  again,  and  what  occurred,  up  to  this  present  time." 

But  I  was  too  much  bewildered  and  confused  with 
what  he  had  told  me,  to  allow  him  to  proceed,  as  he 
proposed. 

"  No,  no,*'  replied  I.  "  I  now  recollect  all  you  have 
said,  although  I  do  not  understand.  You  must  first 
answer  my  questions,  as  to  the  meaning  of  words  I  never 
heard  of  before.  I  cannot  understand  what  money  is, 
what  gaming  is,  and  a  great  many  more  things  you  have 
talked  about,  but  I  recollect,  and  can  repeat  every  word 
that  you  have  said.  To-morrow,  I  will  recall  it  all  over, 
and  you  shall  tell  me  what  I  cannot  make  out ;  after  that, 
you  can  go  on  again." 

" Very  well,"  replied  he,  "I  don't  care  how  long  it 
takes  me  to  answer  your  questions,  for  I  am  not  very 
anxious  to  tell  all  about  your  father  and  myself." 


32  The  Little  Savage 


Chapter  VI 

I  CAN  hardly  describe  to  the  reader  the  effect  which  these 
conversations  with  Jackson  had  upon  me  at  first.  If  a 
prisoner  were  removed  from  a  dark  cell,  and  all  at  once 
introduced  into  a  garden  full  of  fruit  and  flowers,  which 
he  never  before  had  an  idea  were  in  existence,  he  could 
not  have  been  more  filled  with  wonder,  surprise,  and 
pleasure.  All  was  novelty  and  excitement,  but,  at  the 
same  time,  to  a  great  degree,  above  my  comprehension. 
I  had  neither  language  nor  ideas  to  meet  it,  and  yet, 
I  did,  to  a  certain  degree,  comprehend.  I  saw  not  clearly, 
but  sometimes  as  through  a  mist,  at  others  through  a 
dark  fog,  and  I  could  discern  little.  Every  day,  however, 
my  increased  knowledge  of  language  and  terms  gave  me 
an  increased  knowledge  of  ideas.  I  gained  more  by  con- 
text than  I  did  by  any  other  means,  and  as  I  was  by 
degrees  enlightened,  so  my  thirst  for  information  and 
knowledge  became  every  day  more  insatiable. 

That  much  that  I  considered  I  understood  was  erroneous, 
is  certain,  for  mine  was  a  knowledge,  as  yet,  of  theory 
only.  I  could  imagine  to  myself,  as  far  as  the  explanation 
I  received,  what  such  an  object  might  be,  and,  having 
made  up  my  ideas  on  the  matter,  I  was  content ;  further 
knov/ledge,  would  however  incline  me  to  think,  and 
occasionally  to  decide,  that  the  idea  I  had  formed  was 
incorrect,  and  I  would  alter  it.  Thus  did  I  flounder 
about  in  a  sea  of  uncertainty,  but  still  of  exciting  interest. 

If  any  one  who  has  been  educated,  and  has  used  his 
eyes  in  a  civilised  country,  reads  an  account  of  people 
and  things  hitherto  unknown  to  him,  he  can,  from  the 
description  and  from  his  own  general  knowledge,  form 
a  very  correct  idea  of  what  the  country  contains.  But 
then  he  has  used  his  eyes — he  has  seen  those  objects, 
between  which  the  parallel  or  the  difference  has  been 
pointed  out.     Now  I  had  not  that  advantage.     I  had  seen 


The  Little  Savage  ^^ 

nothing  but  the  sea,  rocks,  and  sea-birds,  and  had  but 
one  companion.  Here  was  my  great  difficulty,  which,  I 
may  say,  was  never  surmounted,  until  I  had  visited  and 
mixed  with  civilisation  and  men.  The  difficulty,  however, 
only  increased  my  ardour.  I  was  naturally  of  an  ingenious 
mind,  I  had  a  remarkable  memory,  and  every  increase 
of  knowledge  was  to  me  a  source  of  delight.  In  fact, 
I  had  now  something  to  live  for,  before  I  had  not ;  and 
I  verily  believe,  that  if  Jackson  had  been  by  any  chance 
removed  from  me  at  this  particular  time,  I  should  soon 
have  become  a  lunatic,  from  the  sudden  drying  up  of 
the  well  which  supplied  my  inordinate  thirst  for  know- 
ledge. 

Some  days  passed  before  I  asked  Jackson  to  continue 
his  narrative,  during  which  we  lived  in  great  harmony. 
Whether  it  was  that  he  was  deceiving  me,  and  command- 
ing his  temper  till  he  had  an  opportunity  of  revenge, 
or  whether  it  was  that  his  forlorn  and  helpless  condition 
had  softened  him  down,  I  could  not  say,  but  he  appeared 
gradually  to  be  forming  an  attachment  to  me  ;  I  was 
however  on  my  guard  at  all  times.  His  wounded  wrist 
had  now  healed  up,  but  his  hand  was  quite  useless,  as 
all  the  tendons  had  been  severed.  I  had  therefore  less 
to  fear  from  him  than  before.  At  my  request  that  he 
would  continue  his  history,  Jackson  related  as  follows : — 

"  After  sailing  in  vessel  after  vessel,  and  generally 
dismissed  after  the  voyage  for  my  failing  of  intemperance, 
I  embarked  on  board  a  ship  bound  to  Chili,  and  after 
having  been  on  the  coast  for  nearly  a  year,  we  were 
about  to  proceed  home  with  a  cargo,  when  we  anchored 
at  Valdivia,  previous  to  our  homeward  voyage,  as  we 
had  some  few  articles  to  ship  at  that  port.  We  were 
again  ready  for  sea,  when  we  heard  from  the  captain, 
that  he  had  agreed  to  take  two  passengers,  a  gentleman 
and  his  wife,  who  wished  to  proceed  to  England.  The 
cabin  was  cleared  out,  and  every  preparation  made  to 
receive  them  on  board,  and  in  the  evening  the  boat  was 
sent  on  shore  for  the  luggage.  I  went  in  the  boat,  as 
L.s.  c 


34  The  Little  Savage 

I  thought  it  likely  that  the  gentleman  would  give  the 
boat's  crew  something  to  drink ;  nor  was  I  wrong — he 
gave  us  four  dollars,  which  we  spent  immediately  in  one 
of  the  ventas,  and  were  all  more  or  less  intoxicated.  It 
had  been  arranged  that  the  luggage  should  first  be 
carried  on  board,  and  after  that,  we  were  to  return  for 
the  passengers,  as  we  were  to  sail  early  in  the  morning. 
We  pulled  off  with  the  luggage,  but  on  our  arrival  on 
board,  I  was  so  drunk,  that  the  captain  would  not 
allow  me  to  return  in  the  boat,  and  I  knew  nothing 
of  what  had  passed  until  I  was  roused  up  the  next 
morning  to  assist  in  getting  the  ship  under  weigh. 
We  had  been  under  weigh  two  or  three  hours,  and 
were  clearing  the  land  fast,  when  the  gentleman  passenger 
came  on  neck ;  I  was  then  coiling  down  a  rope  on  the 
quarter-deck,  and  as  he  passed  by  me,  I  looked  at 
him,  and  I  recognised  him  immediately  as  your  father. 
Years  had  passed — from  a  stripling  he  had  grown  a  man, 
but  his  face  was  not  to  be  mistaken.  There  he  was, 
apparently  a  gentlemen  of  property  and  consideration; 
and  I,  what  was  I  ?  a  drunken  sailor.  All  I  hoped  was, 
that  he  would  not  recognise  me.  Shortly  afterwards  he 
went  down  again,  and  returned  escorting  his  wife  on 
deck.  Again  I  took  a  furtive  curious  glance,  and  per- 
ceived at  once  that  she  was  that  Miss  Evelyn  whom  I  had 
once  so  loved,  and  by  my  folly  had  lost.  This  was 
madness.  As  they  stood  on  the  deck  enjoying  the  cool 
sea  breeze,  for  the  weather  was  delightfully  fine,  the 
captain  came  up  and  joined  them.  I  was  so  confused  at 
my  discovery,  that  I  knew  not  what  I  was  about,  and  I 
presume  was  doing  something  very  awkwardly ;  for 
the  captain  said  to  me — *  Jackson,  what  are  you  about, 
you  drunken  hound  ?  I  suppose  you  are  not  sober 
yet.'  At  the  mention  of  my  name,  your  father  and 
mother  looked  at  me,  and  as  I  lifted  up  my  head  to 
reply  to  the  captain,  they  eyed  me  earnestly,  and  then 
spoke  to  each  other  in  a  low  tone ;  after  which  they 
interrogated   the  captain.      I  could   not  hear   what   they 


The  Little  Savage  ^^ 

said,  but  I  was  certain  they  were  talking  about  me,  and 
that  they  had  suspected,  if  they  had  not  recognised  me. 
I  was  ready  to  sink  to  the  deck,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
I  felt  a  hatred  of  your  father  enter  my  heart,  of  which, 
during  his  Hfe,  I  never  could  divest  myself.  It  was  as  I 
supposed ;  your  father  had  recognised  me,  and  the 
following  morning  he  came  up  to  me  as  I  was  leaning 
over  the  gunwale  admidships,  and  addressed  me, — 
*  Jackson,'  said  he,  *  I  am  sorry  to  find  you  in  this 
situation.  You  must  have  been  very  unfortunate  to  have 
become  so  reduced.  If  you  will  confide  your  history  to 
me,  perhaps  I  may,  when  we  arrive  in  England,  be  able 
to  assist  you,  and  it  really  will  give  me  great  pleasure.' 
I  cannot  say  that  I  replied  very  cordially.  *Mr  Henniker,' 
said  I,  *  you  have  been  fortunate  by  all  appearances,  and 
can  therefore  afford  compassion  to  those  who  have  not 
been  so  -,  but,  sir,  in  our  positions,  I  feel  as  if  pity  was 
in  reality  a  sort  of  triumph,  and  an  offer  of  assistance  an 
insult.  I  am  content  with  my  present  position,  and  will 
at  all  events  not  change  it  by  your  interference.  I  earn 
my  bread  honestly.  You  can  do  no  more.  Times  may 
change  yet.  It's  a  long  road  that  has  no  turning  to  it. 
I  wish  you  a  good  morning.'  So  saying,  I  turned  from 
him,  and  walked  away  forward,  with  my  heart  full  of 
bitterness  and  anger.  From  that  hour  he  never  spoke 
to  me  or  noticed  me  again,  but  the  captain  was  more 
severe  upon  me,  and  I  ascribed  his  severity  most  unjustly 
to  your  father.  We  were  about  to  go  round  Cape  Horn, 
when  the  gale  from  the  S.E.  came  on,  which  ended  in 
the  loss  of  the  vessel.  For  several  days  we  strove  up 
against  it,  but  at  last  the  vessel,  which  was  old,  leaked 
so  much  from  straining,  that  we  were  obliged  to  bear 
up  and  run  before  it,  which  we  did  for  several  days,  the 
wind  and  sea  continuing  without  intermission.  At  last 
we  found  ourselves  among  these  islands,  and  v/ere  com- 
pelled occasionally  to  haul  to  the  wdnd  to  clear  them. 
This  made  her  leak  more  and  more,  until  at  last  she 
became  water  logged,   and  we  were  forced   to  abandon 


^6  The  Little  Savage 

her  in  haste  during  the  night,  having  no  time  to  take 
anything  with  us ;  we  left  three  men  on  board,  who 
were  down  below.  By  the  mercy  of  Heaven  we  ran  the 
boat  into  the  opening  below,  which  was  the  only  spot 
where  we  could  have  landed.  I  think  I  had  better  stop 
now,  as  I  have  a  good  deal  to  tell  you  yet." 

"Do  then,"  replied  I;  "and  now  I  think  of  it,  I  will 
bring  up  the  chest  and  all  the  things  which  were  in  it,  and 
you  shall  tell  me  what  they  are." 

I  went  down  and  returned  with  the  clothes  and  linen. 
There  were  eight  pair  of  trousers,  nine  shirts,  besides 
the  one  I  had  torn  up  to  bandage  his  wounds  with,  two 
pair  of  blue  trousers,  and  two  jackets,  four  white  duck 
frocks,  some  shoes,  and  stockings.  Jackson  felt  them 
one  by  one  with  his  hands,  and  told  me  what  they  were, 
and  how  worn. 

"  Why   don't   you  wear   some    of   them  ? "  inquired  I. 

"If  you  will  give  me  leave,  I  will,"  replied  he.  "Let 
me  have  a  duck  frock  and  a  pair  of  trousers." 

I  handed  the  articles  to  him,  and  then  went  back  for 
the  rest  which  I  had  left  on  the  rocks. 

When  I  returned,  with  my  arms  full,  I  found  that  he 
had  put  them  on,  and  his  other  clothes  were  beside  him. 
"  I  feel  more  like  a  Christian  now,"  said  he. 

"  A  Christian,"  said  I,  "  what  is  that  ? " 

"  I  will  tell  you  by-and-bye.  It  is  what  I  have  not 
been  for  a  long,  long  while,"  replied  he.  "Now,  what 
have  you  brought  this  time  ? " 

"  Here,"  said  I,  "  what  is  this  ?  " 

"  This  is  a  roll  of  duck,  to  make  into  frocks  and 
trousers,"  replied  he.  "That  is  bees'-wax.  He  then 
explained  to  me  all  the  tools,  sailing-needles,  fish-hooks, 
and  fishing-lines,  some  sheets  of  writing-paper,  and  two 
pens,  I  had  brought  up  with  me.  "  All  these  are  very 
valuable,"  said  he,  after  a  pause,  "  and  would  have  added 
much  to  our  comfort,  if  I  had  not  been  blind." 

"  There  are  more  things  yet,"  said  1 5  "  I  will  go  and 
fetch  them." 


The  Little  Savage  t^^j 

This  time  I  replaced  the  remaining  articles,  and  brought 
up  the  chest.  It  was  a  heavy  load  to  carry  up  the  rocks, 
and  I  was  out  of  breath  when  I  arrived  and  set  it  down 
on  the  cabin-floor. 

**  Now,  I  have  the  whole  of  them,"  said  I.  "  Now, 
what  is  this  ?  " 

"  That  is  a  spy-glass — but,  alas  !  I  am  blind — but  I  will 
show  you  how  to  use  it,  at  all  events." 

**  Here  are  two  books,"  said  I. 

**  Give  them  to  me,"  said  he,  "  and  let  me  feel  them. 
This  one  is  a  Bible,  I  am  quite  sure  by  its  shape,  and  the 
other  is,  I  think,  a  Prayer-book." 

"  What  is  a  Bible,  and  what  is  a  Prayer-book  ?  "  replied  I. 

"  The  Bible  is  the  Word  of  God,  and  the  Prayer-book 
teaches  us  how  to  pray  to  him." 

"  But  who  is  God  ?  I  have  often  heard  you  say,  *  O 
God  ! '  and  *  God  damn ' — but  who  is  he  ?  " 

**I  will  tell  you  to-night  before  we  go  to  sleep,"  replied 
Jackson,  gravely. 

"  Very  well,  I  shall  remind  you.  I  have  found  a  little 
box  inside  the  chest,  and  it  is  full  of  all  manner  of  little 
things — strings  and  sinews." 

"  Let  me  feel  them  ? " 

I  put  a  bundle  into  his  hand. 

"  These  are  needles  and  thread  for  making  and  mending 
clothes — they  will  be  useful  bye-and-bye." 

At  last  the  whole  contents  of  the  chest  were  overhauled 
and  explained :  I  could  not  well  comprehend  the  glass 
bottles,  or  how  they  were  made,  but  I  put  them  with  the 
pannikins,  and  everything  else,  very  carefully  into  the  chest 
again,  and  hauled  the  chest  to  the  farther  end  of  the  cabin, 
out  of  the  way.  Before  we  went  to  bed  that  night,  Jack- 
son had  to  explain  to  me  who  God  was,  but  as.it  was  only 
the  commencement  of  several  conversations  on  the  subject, 
I  shall  not  at  present  trouble  the  reader  with  what  passed 
between  us.  Jackson  appeared  to  be  very  melancholy  after 
the  conversation  we  had  had  on  religious  matters,  and  was 
frequently  agitated  and  muttering  to  himself. 


^8  The  Little  Savage 


Chapter  VII 

I  DID  not  on  the  following  day  ask  him  to  resume  his 
narrative  relative  to  my  father  and  mother,  as  I  perceived 
that  he  avoided  it,  and  I  already  had  so  far  changed  as  to 
have  consideration  for  his  feelings.  Another  point  had 
now  taken  possession  of  my  mind,  which  was,  whether  it 
were  possible  to  learn  to  read  those  books  which  I  had 
found  in  the  chest,  and  this  was  the  first  question  that  I 
put  to  Jackson  when  we  arose  on  that  morning. 

*'  How  is  it  possible  ? "  replied  he.  "  Am  I  not  blind — 
how  can  I  teach  you  ? " 

"  Is  there  no  way  ? "  replied  I,  mournfully. 

"Let  me  think. — Yes,  perhaps  there  is  a  way — at  all 
events  we  will  try.  You  know  which  book  I  told  you  was 
the  Prayer-book .'' " 

"  Oh  yes  !  the  small,  thin  one," 

"  Yes — fetch  it  here.  Now,"  said  he,  when  I  put  it 
into  his  hand,  "  tell  me  j  is  there  a  straight  line  down  the 
middle  of  the  page  of  the  book,  so  that  the  words  and 
letters  are  on  both  sides  of  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  there  is,"  replied  I;  *'in  every  page,  as  you  call 
it,  there  is  a  black  line  down  the  middle,  and  words  and 
letters  (I  suppose  they  are)  on  both  sides." 

**  And  among  the  letters,  there  are  some  larger  than 
others,  especially  at  the  side  nearest  to  the  margin." 

"I  don't  know  what  margin  is." 

"  I  mean  here,"  replied  he,  pointing  to  the  margin  of 
the  page. 

"  Yes,  there  are." 

"Well  then,  I  will  open  the  book  as  near  as  I  can  guess 
at  the  Morning  service,  and  you  tell  me  if  you  can  find 
any  part  of  the  writing  which  appears  to  begin  with  a 
large  round  letter,  like — what  shall  I  say  ? — the  bottom  of 
a  pannikin." 

"  There  is  one  on  this  leaf,  quite  round." 


The  Little  Savage  39 

**  Very  well — now  get  me  a  small  piece  of  stick,  and 
make  a  point  to  it." 

I  did  so,  and  Jackson  swept  away  a  small  place  on  the 
floor  of  the  cabin. 

**  Now,"  said  he,  "  there  are  many  other  prayers  which 
begin  with  a  round  O,  as  the  letter  is  called ;  so  I  must 
first  ascertain  if  this  one  is  the  one  I  require.  If  it  is,  I 
know  it  by  heart,  and  by  that  shall  be  able  to  teach  you 
all  the  letters  of  the  alphabet." 

"What's  an  alphabet?" 

"  The  alphabet  is  the  number  of  letters  invented  to 
enable  us  to  read  and  write.  There  are  twenty-six  of 
them.  Now  look,  Frank  ;  is  the  next  letter  to  O  the 
shape  of  this  ? "  and  he  drew  with  the  pointed  stick  the 
letter  U  on  the  ground. 

"  Yes,  it  is,"  rephed  I. 

"  And  the  next  is  like  this,"  continued  he,  drawing  the 
letter  R,  after  he  had  smoothed  the  ground  and  effaced 
theU. 

*'  Yes,"  replied  I. 

"  Well  then,  to  make  sure,  I  had  better  go  on.  OUR 
is  one  word,  and  then  there  is  a  little  space  between  ;  and 
next  you  come  to  an  F." 

"  Yes,"  replied  I,  looking  at  what  he  had  drawn  and 
comparing  it  with  the  letter  in  the  book. 

"  Then  I  believe  that  we  are  all  right,  but  to  make  sure, 
we  will  go  on  for  a  little  longer." 

Jackson  then  completed  the  word  "  Father,"  and  "  which 
art,"  that  followed  it,  and  then  he  was  satisfied. 

**  Now,"  said  he,  "  out  of  that  prayer  I  can  teach  you  all 
the  letters,  and  if  you  pay  attention,  you  will  learn  to  read." 

The  whole  morning  was  passed  in  my  telling  him  the 
different  letters,  and  I  very  soon  knew  them  all.  During 
the  day,  the  Lord's  Prayer  was  gone  through,  and  as  I 
learnt  the  words  as  well  as  the  letters,  I  could  repeat  it 
before  night ;  I  read  it  over  to  him  twenty  or  thirty  times, 
spelling  every  word,  letter  by  letter,  until  I  was  perfect. 
This  was  my  first  lesson. 


40  The  Little  Savage 

"  Why  is  it  called  the  lord's  Prayer  ? "  said  I. 

"Because,  when  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  asked  by 
His  followers  in  what  way  they  ought  to  address  God, 
He  gave  them  this  prayer  to  repeat,  as  being  the  most 
proper  that  they  could  use." 

"  But  who  was  Jesus  Christ  ? " 

"  He  was  the  Son  of  God,  as  I  told  you  yesterday,  and 
at  the  same  time  equal  with  God." 

"  How  could  he  be  equal  with  God,  if,  as  you  said 
yesterday,  God  sent  him  down  to  be  killed  ? " 

*'  It  was  with  his  own  consent  that  he  suffered  death ; 
but  all  this  is  a  mystery  which  you  cannot  understand  at 
present." 

"  What's  a  mystery  ? " 

"That  which  yoai  cannot  understand." 

"Do  you  understand  it  yourself?" 

"  No,  I  do  not  J  I  only  know  that  such  is  the  fact,  but 
it  is  above  not  only  mine,  but  all  men's  comprehension. 
But  I  tell  you  honestly  that,  on  these  points,  I  am  but  a 
bad  teacher  ;  I  have  paid  little  attention  to  them  during  my 
life,  and  as  far  as  religion  is  concerned,  I  can  only  give  you 
the  outlines,  for  I  know  no  more." 

"But  I  thought  you  said,  that  people  were  to  be 
punished  or  rewarded  when  they  died,  according  as  they 
had  lived  a  bad  or  good  life  ;  and  that  to  live  a  good  life, 
people  must  be  religious,  and  obey  God's  commands." 

"  I  did  tell  you  so,  and  I  told  you  the  truth  ;  but  I  did 
not  tell  you  that  I  had  led  a  bad  life,  as  I  have  done,  and 
that  I  have  neglected  to  pay  obedience  to  God's  word 
and  command." 

"  Then  you  will  be  punished  when  you  die,  will  you  not?" 

"  Alas  !  I  fear  so,  child,"  replied  Jackson,  putting  his 
hands  up  to  his  forehead  and  hiding  his  face.  "  But  there 
is  still  time,"  continued  he,  after  a  pause,  and  "  O  God  of 
mercy  !  "  exclaimed  he,  "  how  shall  I  escape  ?  " 

I  was  about  to  continue  the  conversation,  but  Jackson 
requested  that  I  would  leave  him  alone  for  a  time.  I  went 
out  and  sat  on  a  rock,  watching  the  stars. 


The  Little  Savage  41 

**  And  those,  he  says,  were  all  made  by  God," — 
"  and  God  made  everything,"  thought  I,  "  and  God  lives 
up  beyond  those  stars."  I  thought  for  a  long  while,  and 
was  much  perplexed.  I  had  never  heard  anything  of  God 
till  the  night  before,  and  what  Jackson  had  told  me  was 
just  enough  to  make  me  more  anxious  and  curious  ;  but  he 
evidently  did  not  like  to  talk  on  the  subject.  I  tried  after 
a  time,  if  I  could  repeat  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  I  found  that 
I  could,  so  I  knelt  down  on  the  rock,  and  looking  up  to  a 
bright  star,  as  if  I  would  imagine  it  was  God,  I  repeated 
the  Lord's  Prayer  to  it,  and  then  I  rose  up  and  went  to 
bed. 

This  was  the  first  time  that  I  had  ever  prayed. 

I  had  learnt  so  much  from  Jackson,  latterly,  that  I  could 
hardly  retain  what  I  had  learnt ;  at  all  events,  I  had  a  very 
confused  recollection  in  my  brain,  and  my  thoughts  turned 
from  one  subject  to  another,  till  there  was,  for  a  time,  a 
perfect  chaos  ;  by  degrees  things  unravelled  themselves, 
and  my  ideas  became  more  clear  ;  but  still  I  laboured  under 
that  half-comprehension  of  things,  which,  in  my  position, 
was  unavoidable. 

But  now  my  mind  was  occupied  with  one  leading  object 
and  wish,  which  was  to  learn  to  read.  I  thought  no  more 
of  Jackson's  history  and  the  account  he  might  give  me  of 
my  father  and  mother,  and  was  as  willing  as  he  was  that  it 
should  be  deferred  for  a  time.  "What  I  required  now  was 
to  be  able  to  read  the  books,  and  to  this  object  my  whole 
mind  and  attention  were  given.  Three  or  four  hours  in  the 
earlier  portion  of  the  day,  and  the  same  time  in  the  latter, 
v/ere  dedicated  to  this  pursuit,  and  my  attention  never  tired 
or  flagged.  In  the  course  of,  I  think,  about  six  weeks,  I 
could  read,  without  hesitation,  almost  any  portion  of  the 
Bible  or  Prayer-Book.  I  required  no  more  teaching  from 
Jackson,  who  now  became  an  attentive  hearer,  as  I  read  to 
him  every  morning  and  evening  a  portion  of  the  Gospel  or 
Liturgy.  But  I  cannot  say  that  I  understood  many  portions 
which  I  read,  and  the  questions  which  I  put  to  Jackson 
puzzled  him  not  a  little,  and  very  often  he  acknowledged 


42  The  Little  Savage 

that  he  could  not  answer  them.  As  I  afterwards  discovered 
this  arose  from  his  own  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  nature 
of  the  Christian  religion,  which,  according  to  his  statement 
to  me,  might  be  considered  to  have  been  comprised  in  the 
following  sentence :  "  If  you  do  good  on  earth,  you  will 
go  to  heaven  and  be  happy  ;  if  you  do  ill,  you  will  go  to 
hell  and  be  tormented.  Christ  came  down  from  heaven  to 
teach  us  what  to  do,  and  how  to  follow  his  example  ;  and 
all  that  we  read  in  the  Bible  we  must  believe."  This  may 
be  considered  as  the  creed  imparted  to  me  at  that  time.  I 
believe  that  Jackson,  like  many  others,  knew  no  better,  and 
candidly  told  me  what  he  himself  had  been  taught  to  believe. 

But  the  season  for  the  return  of  the  birds  arrived,  and 
our  stock  of  provender  was  getting  low.  I  was  therefore 
soon  obliged  to  leave  my  books,  and  work  hard  for  Jackson 
and  myself.  As  soon  as  the  young  birds  were  old  enough, 
I  set  to  my  task.  And  now  I  found  how  valuable  were 
the  knives  which  I  had  obtained  from  the  seaman's  chest  ; 
indeed,  in  many  points  I  could  work  much  faster.  By 
tying  the  neck  and  sleeves  of  a  duck  frock,  I  made  a  bag, 
which  enabled  me  to  carry  the  birds  more  conveniently, 
and  in  greater  quantities  at  a  time,  and  with  the  knives  I 
could  skin  and  prepare  a  bird  in  one  quarter  of  the  time. 
With  my  fishing-lines  also,  I  could  hang  up  more  to  dry  at 
one  time,  so  that,  though  without  assistance,  I  had  more 
birds  cured  in  the  same  time  than  when  Jackson  and  I 
were  both  employed  in  the  labour.  The  whole  affair,  liow- 
ever,  occupied  me  from  morning  to  evening  for  more  than 
three  weeks,  by  which  time  the  major  portion  of  my 
provender  v/as  piled  up  at  the  back  of  the  cabin.  I  did 
not,  however,  lose  what  I  had  gained  in  reading,  as  Jackson 
would  not  let  me  go  away  in  the  morning,  or  retire  to  my  bed 
in  the  evening,  without  my  reading  to  him  a  portion  of  the 
Bible  indeed  he  appeared  to  be  uncomfortable  if  I  did  not 
do  so. 

At  last,  the  work  was  ended,  and  then  I  felt  a  strong 
desire  return  to  hear  that  portion  of  Jackson's  history 
connected  with  my  father  and  mother,  and  I  told  him  so. 


The  Little  Savage  43 

He  did  not  appear  to  be  pleased  with  my  communication, 
or  at  all  willing  to  proceed,  but  as  I  pressed  him  hard  and 
showed  some  symptoms  of  resolution  and  rebellion,  he 
reluctantly  resumed  his  narrative. 


Chapter  VIII 

**  I  WISH  you  to  understand,"  said  he,  "  that  my  unwill- 
ingness to  go  on  with  my  history,  proceeds  from  my  being 
obliged  to  make  known  to  you  the  hatred  that  subsisted 
between  your  father  and  me  ;  but  if  you  will  recollect, 
that  we  both  had,  in  our  early  days,  been  striving  to  gain 
the  same  object — I  mean  your  mother — and  also  that  he 
had  taken,  as  it  were,  v/hat  I  considered  to  have  been  my 
place,  in  other  points — that  he  had  been  successful  in  life, 
and  I  had  been  unfortunate,  you  must  not  then  be  surprised 
at  my  hating  him  as  I  did." 

"  I  understand  nothing  about  your  feelings,"  replied  I ; 
"  and  why  he  injured  you  by  marrying  my  mother,  I  can- 
not see." 

"  Why  I  loved  her." 

"Well,  suppose  you  did,  I  don't  know  what  love  is, 
and  therefore  cannot  understand  it,  so  tell  me  the  story." 

"  Well  then,  when  I  left  off,  I  told  you  that  we  had 
ventured  to  land  upon  this  island  by  running  the  boat  into 
the  bathing-pond,  but  in  so  doing,  the  boat  was  beaten  to 
pieces,  and  was  of  no  use  afterwards.  We  landed,  eight 
persons  in  all — that  is,  the  captain,  your  father,  the 
carpenter,  mate,  and  three  seamen,  besides  your  mother. 
We  had  literally  nothing  in  the  boat  except  three  axes, 
two  kids,  and  the  two  pannikins,  which  we  have  indeed 
now,  but  as  for  provisions  or  even  water  we  had  none  of 
either.  Our  first  object,  therefore,  was  to  search  the 
island  to  obtain  water,  and  this  we  soon  found  at  the  rill 
which  now  runs  down  by  the  side  of  the  cabin.  It  was 
very  fortunate  for  us  that  we  arrived  exactly  at  the  time 


44  The  Little  Savage 

that  the  birds  had  come  on  the  island,  and  had  just  laid 
their  eggs ;  if  not,  we  must  have  perished  with  hunger, 
for  we  had  not  a  fish-hook  with  us  or  even  a  fathom  of 
line. 

"We  collected  a  quantity  of  eggs,  and  made  a  good 
meal,  although  we  devoured  them  raw.  While  we  were 
running  about,  or  rather  .climbing  about,  over  the  rocks, 
to  find  out  what  chance  of  subsistence  we  might  have  on 
the  island,  the  captain  and  your  father  remained  with  your 
mother,  who  sat  down  in  a  sheltered  spot  near  to  the 
bathing-pool.  On  our  return  in  the  evening,  the  captain 
called  us  all  together  that  he  might  speak  to  us,  and  he 
said  that  if  we  would  do  well  we  must  all  act  in  concert ; 
that  it  also  would  be  necessary  that  one  should  have  the 
command  and  control  of  the  others ;  that  without  such 
was  the  case,  nothing  would  go  on  well  •, — and  he  asked 
us  if  we  did  not  consider  that  what  he  said  was  true.  We 
all  agreed,  although  I,  for  one,  felt  little  inclination  to  do 
so,  but  as  all  the  rest  said  so,  I  raised  no  objections.  The 
captain  then  told  us  that  as  we  were  all  of  one  opinion, 
the  next  point,  was  to  decide  as  to  who  should  have  the 
command — he  said,  that  if  it  had  been  on  ship-board,  he  of 
course  would  have  taken  it  himself,  but  now  we  were  on 
shore  he  thought  that  Mr  Henniker  was  a  much  more 
competent  person  than  he  was,  and  he  therefore  proposed 
that  the  command  should  be  given  to  him,  and  he,  for  one, 
would  willingly  be  under  his  orders.  To  this  proposal, 
the  carpenter  and  mate  immediately  agreed,  and  at  last 
two  of  the  seamen.  I  was  left  alone,  but  I  resisted, 
saying,  that  I  was  not  going  to  be  ordered  about  by  a 
landsman,  and  that  if  I  were  to  obey  orders,  it  must  be 
from  a  thorough-bred  seaman.  The  other  two  sailors 
were  of  my  way  of  thinking,  I  was  sure,  although  they 
had  given  their  consent,  and  I  hoped  that  they  would  join 
me,  which  they  appeared  very  much  inclined  to  do.  Your 
father  spoke  very  coolly,  modestly,  and  prudently.  He 
pointed  out  that  he  had  no  wish  to  take  the  command,  and 
that  he  would  cheerfully  serve  under  the  captain  of  the 


The  Little  Savage  45 

vessel,  if  it  would  be  more  satisfactory  to  all  parties  that 
such  should  be  the  case.  But  the  captain  and  the  others 
were  positive,  saying  that  they  would  not  have  their 
choice  disputed  by  such  a  drunken  vagabond  as  I  was,  and 
that  if  I  did  not  like  to  remain  with  them,  I  might  go  to 
any  part  of  the  island  that  I  chose.  This  conference  ended 
by  my  getting  in  a  passion,  and  saying  that  I  would  not  be 
under  your  father's  orders ;  and  I  was  seizing  one  of  the 
axes  to  go  off  with  it,  when  the  captain  caught  my  arm 
and  wrested  it  from  me,  stating  that  the  axe  was  his 
property,  and  then  telling  me  that  I  was  welcome  to  go 
where  I  pleased. 

"  I  left  them,  therefore,  and  went  away  by  myself  to 
where  the  birds  were  hatching,  as  I  wished  to  secure  a 
supply  of  eggs.  When  the  night  closed  in,  I  lay  down 
upon  the  guano,  and  felt  no  cold,  for  the  gale  was  now 
over,  and  the  weather  was  very  mild. 

"  The  next  morning,  when  I  awoke,  I  found  that  the 
sun  had  been  up  some  time.  I  looked  for  the  rest  of  my 
companions  whom  I  had  quitted,  and  perceived  that  they 
were  all  busily  at  work.  The  sea  was  quite  calm  ;  and, 
when  the  vessel  went  down  after  we  left,  many  articles 
had  floated,  and  had  been  washed  to  the  island.  Some  of 
the  men  were  busy  collecting  spars  and  planks,  which 
were  near  the  rocks,  and  pushing  them  along  with  the 
boat-hooks  to  the  direction  of  the  bathing  pond,  where 
they  hauled  them  over  the  ridge,  and  secured  them.  Your 
father  and  mother,  with  the  carpenter,  were  on  this  ledge 
where  we  now  are,  having  selected  it  as  a  proper  place  for 
building  a  shelter,  and  were  apparently  very  busy.  The 
captain  and  one  of  the  seamen  were  carrying  up  what  spars 
and  timber  could  be  collected  to  where  your  father  was 
standing  with  the  carpenter.  All  appeared  to  be  active, 
and  working  into  each  others  hands  ;  and  I  confess  that, 
as  I  looked  on,  I  envied  them,  and  wished  that  I  had  been 
along  with  them  ;  but  I  could  not  bear  the  idea  of  obeying 
any  orders  given  by  your  father  ;  and  this  alone  prevented 
my  joining  them,  and  making  my  excuses  for  what  I  had 


46  The  Little  Savage 

done  and  said  the  previous  night.  I  therefore  swallowed 
some  more  birds'  eggs  raw,  and  sat  down  in  the  sun, 
looking  at  them  as  they  worked. 

"  I  soon  perceived  that  the  carpenter  had  commenced 
operations.  The  frame  of  this  cabin  was,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  your  father,  before  it  was  noon,  quite  complete  and 
put  up  J  and  then  they  all  went  down  to  the  bathing  place, 
where  the  boat  was  lying  with  her  bottom  beaten  out. 
They  commenced  taking  her  to  pieces  and  saving  all  the 
nails  ;  the  other  men  carried  up  the  portions  of  the  boat  as 
they  were  ripped  off,  to  where  the  frame  of  the  cabin  had 
been  raised.  I  saw  your  mother  go  up  with  a  load  in  her 
hand,  which  I  believed  to  be  the  nails  taken  from  the  boat. 
In  a  couple  of  hours  the  boat  was  in  pieces  and  carried  up, 
and  then  your  father  and  most  of  the  men  went  up  to 
assist  the  carpenter.  I  hardly  need  tell  what  they  did,  as 
you  have  the  cabin  before  you.  The  roof,  you  see,  is 
mostly  built  out  of  the  timbers  of  the  boat ;  and  the  lower 
part  out  of  heavier  wood ;  and  a  very  good  job  they  made 
of  it.  Before  the  morning  closed  in,  one  of  the  sides  of 
the  cabin  was  finished ;  and  I  saw  them  light  a  fire  with 
the  chips  that  had  been  cut  off  with  the  axes,  and  they 
then  dressed  the  eggs  and  birds  which  they  had  collected 
the  first  day. 

"  There  was  one  thing  which  I  had  quite  forgotten 
when  I  mutinied  and  left  my  companions,  which  was,  the 
necessity  of  water  to  drink  ;  and  I  now  perceived  that 
they  had  taken  possession  of  the  spot  where  the  only 
water  had  as  yet  been  found.  I  was  suffering  very  much 
from  thirst  towards  the  close  of  the  day,  and  I  set  off 
up  the  ravine  to  ascertain  if  there  was  none  to  be  found  in 
that  direction.  Before  night  I  succeeded  in  finding  some, 
as  you  know,  for  you  have  often  drunk  from  the  spring 
when  you  have  gone  up  for  firewood.  This  gave  me 
great  encouragement,  for  I  was  afraid  that  the  want  of 
water  would  have  driven  me  to  submission.  By  way  of 
bravado,  I  tore  ofi',  and  cut  with  my  knife,  as  many  boughs 
of  the  underwood  on  the  ravine  as  I  well  could  carry,  and 


The  Little  Savage  47 

the  next  morning  I  built  a  sort  of  wigwam  for  myself  on 
the  guano,  to  show  them  that  I  had  a  house  over  my  head 
as  well  as  they  had  ;  but  I  built  it  farther  up  to  the  edge 
of  the  cliff,  above  the  guano  plain,  so  that  I  need  not  have 
any  communication  with  those  who  I  knew  would  come 
for  eggs  and  birds  for  their  daily  sustenance. 

"  Before  the  night  of  the  following  day  set  in,  the  cabin 
was  quite  finished. 

"  The  weather  became  warmer  every  day,  and  I  found 
it  very  fatiguing  to  have  to  climb  the  ravine  two  or  three 
times  a  day  to  procure  a  drink  of  water,  for  I  had  nothing 
to  hold  water  in,  and  I  thought  that  it  would  be  better 
that  I  should  take  up  my  quarters  in  the  ravine,  and  build 
myself  a  wigwam  among  the  brushwood  close  to  the 
water,  instead  of  having  to  make  so  many  journeys  for  so 
necessary  an  article.  I  knew  that  I  could  carry  eggs  in 
my  hat  and  pocket-handkerchief  sufficient  for  two  or  three 
days  at  one  trip  ;  so  I  determined  that  I  would  do  so  j  and 
the  next  morning  I  went  up  the  ravine,  loaded  with  eggs, 
to  take  up  my  residence  there.  In  a  day  or  two  I  had 
built  my  hut  of  boughs,  and  made  it  very  comfortable. 
I  returned  for  a  fresh  supply  of  eggs  on  the  third  day, 
with  a  basket  I  had  constructed  out  of  young  boughs,  and 
which  enabled  me  to  carry  a  whole  week's  sustenance. 
Then  I  felt  quite  satisfied,  and  made  up  my  mind  that  I 
would  live  as  a  hermit  during  my  sojourn  on  the  island, 
however  long  it  might  be  ;  for  I  preferred  anything  to 
obeying  the  orders  of  one  whom  I  detested  as  I  did  your 
father. 

"  It  soon  was  evident,  however,  how  well  they  had  done 
in  selecting  your  father  as  their  leader.  They  had  fancied 
that  the  birds  would  remain  on  the  island,  and  that  thus 
they  would  always  be  able  to  procure  a  supply.  Your 
father,  who  had  lived  so  long  in  Chili,  knew  better,  and 
that  in  a  few  weeks  they  would  quit  their  nesting  place. 
He  pointed  this  out  to  them,  showing  them  what  a  mercy 
it  was  that  they  had  been  cast  away  just  at  this  time,  and 
how  necessary  it  was   to  make  a  provision  for  the  year. 


48  The  Little  Savage 

But  this  they  could  not  Imagine  that  it  was  possible  to  do 
without  salt  to  cure  the  birds  with ;  but  he  knew  how 
beef  was  preserved  without  salt  on  the  continent,  and 
showed  them  how  to  dry  the  birds  in  the  sun.  While 
therefore  I  was  up  in  the  ravine,  they  were  busy  collecting 
and  drying  them  in  large  quantities,  and  before  the  time  of 
the  birds  leaving  they  had  laid  up  a  sufficient  supply.  It 
was  he  also  that  invented  the  fishing  lines  out  of  the 
sinews  of  the  legs  of  the  birds,  and  your  mother  who 
knotted  them  together.  At  first,  they  caught  fish  with 
some  hooks  made  of  nails,  but  your  father  showed  them 
the  way  to  take  them  without  a  hook,  as  you  have  learnt 
from  me,  and  which  he  had  been  shown  by  some  of  the 
Indians  on  the  continent.  Owing  to  your  father,  they 
were  well  prepared  when  the  birds  flew  away  with  their 
young  ones,  while  I  was  destitute.  Previous  to  the  flight, 
I  had  fared  but  badly,  for  the  eggs  contained  the  young 
birds  half  formed,  and  latterly  so  completely  formed  that  I 
could  not  eat  them,  and  as  I  had  no  fire  and  did  not  under- 
stand drying  them,  I  had  no  alternative  but  eating  the 
young  birds  raw,  which  was  anything  but  pleasant.  I 
consoled  myself,  however,  with  the  idea  that  your  father 
and  mother  and  the  rest  were  faring  just  as  badly  as  myself, 
and  I  looked  forward  to  the  time  when  the  birds  would 
begin  to  lay  eggs  again,  when  I  resolved  to  hoard  up  a 
much  larger  supply  while  they  were  fresh.  But  my 
schemes  were  all  put  an  end  to,  for  in  two  days,  after  a 
great  deal  of  noise  and  flying  about  in  circles,  all  the  birds, 
young  and  old,  took  wing,  and  left  me  without  any  means 
of  future  subsistence. 

"This  was  a  horrid  discovery,  and  I  was  put  to  my 
wits'  ends.  I  wandered  over  the  guano  place,  and,  after 
the  third  day  of  their  departure,  was  glad  to  pick  up  even 
a  dead  bird  with  which  to  appease  my  hunger.  At  the 
same  time,  I  wondered  how  my  former  companions  got  on, 
for  I  considered  that  they  must  be  as  badly  ofi'  as  I  was. 
I  watched  them  from  behind  the  rocks,  but  I  could 
perceive  no  signs  of  uneasiness.     There  was  your  mother 


The  Little  Savage  49 

sitting  quietly  on  the  level  by  the  cabin,  and  your  father 
or  the  captain  talking  with  her.  I  perceived,  however, 
that  two  of  the  party  were  employed  fishing  off  the  rocks, 
and  I  wondered  where  they  got  their  fishing-lines,  and  at 
last  I  concluded  that  it  was  by  catching  fish  that  they 
supported  themselves.  This,  however,  did  not  help  me — 
I  was  starving,  and  starvation  will  bring  down  the  pride  of 
any  man.  On  the  fifth  day,  I  walked  down  to  the  rocks, 
to  where  one  of  the  seamen  was  fishing,  and  having 
greeted  him,  I  told  him  that  I  was  starving,  and  asked  for 
something  to  eat. 

**  *  I  cannot  help  you,'  replied  he  ;  *  I  have  no  power  to 
give  anything  away  ;  it  is  more  than  I  dare  do.  You  must 
apply  to  Mr  Henniker,  who  is  the  governor  now.  What 
a  foolish  fellow  you  were  to  mutiny,  as  you  did  ;  see  what 
it  has  brought  you  to.' 

*«  <  Why,'  replied  I,  *  if  it  were  not  for  fishing,  you 
would  not  be  better  off  than  I  am.' 

"  '  Oh  yes  we  should  be ;  but  we  have  to  thank  him  for 
that — without  him,  I  grant,  we  should  not  have  been. 
We  have  plenty  of  provisions,  although  we  fish  to  help 
them  out.' 

"  This  puzzled  me  amazingly,  but  there  was  no  help 
for  it.  I  could  starve  no  longer,  so  up  I  went  to  the  level 
where  your  father  was  standing  with  the  captain,  and  in  a 
swaggering  sort  of  tone,  said  that  I  had  come  back,  and 
wanted  to  join  my  comrades.  The  captain  looked  at  me, 
and  referred  me  to  your  father,  who  said  that  he  would 
consult  with  the  rest  when  they  came  to  dinner,  as  without 
their  permission  he  could  do  nothing,  and  then  they  both 
turned  away.  In  the  meantime  I  was  ravenous  with 
hunger,  and  was  made  more  so  by  perceiving  that  two 
large  fish  were  slowly  baking  on  the  embers  of  the  fire, 
and  that  your  mother  was  watching  them  ;  however,  there 
was  no  help  for  it,  and  I  sat  down  at  some  little  distance, 
anxiously  waiting  for  the  return  of  the  rest  of  the 
party,  when  my  fate  would  be  decided.  My  pride  was 
now  brought  down  so  low  that  I  could  have  submitted  to 

L.S.  D 


50  The  Little  Savage 

any  terms  which  might  have  been  dictated.  In  about  two 
hours  they  were  all  assembled  to  dinner,  and  I  remained 
envying  every  morsel  that  they  ate,  until  the  repast  was 
finished ;  when  after  some  consultation,  I  was  ordered  to 
approach — which  I  did — and  your  father  addressed  me : 
'  Jackson,  you  deserted  us  when  you  might  have  been 
very  useful,  and  when  our  labour  was  severe  ;  now  that 
we  have  worked  hard,  and  made  ourselves  tolerably  com- 
fortable, you  request  to  join  us,  and  partake  with  us  of 
the  fruits  of  our  labour  and  foresight.  You  have  provided 
nothing,  we  have — the  consequence  is  that  we  are  in  com- 
parative plenty,  while  you  are  starving.  Now  I  have 
taken  the  opinion  of  my  companions,  and  they  are  all 
agreed,  that  as  you  have  not  assisted  when  you  are  wanted, 
should  we  now  allow  you  to  join  us,  you  will  have  to  work 
more  than  the  others  to  make  up  an  equivalent.  It  is 
therefore  proposed  that  you  shall  join  us  on  one  condition, 
which  is,  that  during  the  year  till  the  birds  again  visit  the 
island,  it  will  be  your  task  to  go  up  to  the  ravine  every 
day,  and  procure  the  firewood  which  is  required.  If  you 
choose  to  accept  these  terms,  you  are  permitted  to  join, 
always  supposing  that  to  all  the  other  rules  and  regulations 
which  we  have  laid  down  for  our  guidance,  you  will  be 
subject  as  well  as  we  are.  These  are  our  terms,  and  you 
may  decide  as  you  think  proper.'  I  hardly  need  say,  that 
I  gladly  accepted  them,  and  was  still  more  glad  when  the 
remnants  of  the  dinner  were  placed  before  me ;  I  was 
nearly  choked,  I  devoured  with  such  haste  until  my 
appetite  was  appeased. 

"When  this  was  done,  I  thought  over  the  conditions 
which  I  had  accepted,  and  my  blood  boiled  at  the  idea 
that  I  was  to  be  in  a  manner  the  slave  to  the  rest,  as  I 
should  have  to  work  hard  every  day.  I  forgot  that  it  was 
but  justice,  and  that  I  was  only  earning  my  share  of  the 
years'  provisions,  which  I  had  not  assisted  to  collect.  My 
heart  was  still  more  bitter  against  your  father,  and  I 
vowed  vengeance  if  ever  I  had  an  opportunity,  but  there 
was  no  help  for  it.     Every  day  I  went  up  with  a  piece  of 


The  Little  Savage  51 

cord  and  an  axe,  cut  a  large  faggot  of  wood,  and  brought 
it  down  to  the  cabin.  It  was  hard  work,  and  occupied 
me  from  breakfast  to  dinner-time,  and  I  had  no  time  to 
lose  if  I  wanted  to  be  back  for  dinner.  The  captain 
always  examined  the  faggot,  and  ascertained  that  I  had 
brought  down  a  sufficient  supply  for  the  day's  con- 
sumption." 


Chapter  IX 

**  A  YEAR  passed  away,  during  which  I  was  thus  employed. 
At  last,  the  birds  made  their  appearance,  and  after  we  had 
laid  up  our  annual  provision,  I  was  freed  from  my  task, 
and  had  only  to  share  the  labour  with  others.  It  was  now 
a  great  source  of  speculation  how  long  we  were  likely  to 
remain  on  the  island  5  every  day  did  we  anxiously  look 
out  for  a  vessel,  but  we  could  see  none,  or  if  seen,  they 
were  too  far  off  from  the  island  to  permit  us  to  make 
signals  to  them.  At  last  we  began  to  give  up  all  hope, 
and,  as  hope  was  abandoned,  a  settled  gloom  was  per- 
ceptible on  most  of  our  faces.  I  believe  that  others  would 
have  now  mutinied  as  v/ell  as  myself,  if  they  had  known 
what  to  mutiny  about.  Your  father  and  mother  were  the 
life  and  soul  of  the  party,  inventing  amusements,  or  narrat- 
ing a  touching  story  in  the  evenings,  so  as  to  beguile  the 
weary  time ;  great  respect  was  paid  to  your  mother,  which 
she  certainly  deserved ;  I  seldom  approached  her ;  she 
had  taken  a  decided  dislike  to  me,  arising,  I  presume, 
from  my  behaviour  towards  her  husband,  for  now  that 
I  was  again  on  a  footing  with  the  others,  I  was  as  insolent 
to  him  as  I  dared  to  be,  without  incurring  the  penalty 
attached  to  insubordination,  and  I  opposed  him  as  much 
as  I  could  in  every  proposal  that  he  brought  forward — 
but  your  father  kept  his  temper,  although  I  lost  mine  but 
too  often.  The  first  incident  which  occurred  of  any  con- 
sequence, was  the  loss  of  two  of  the  men,  who  had,  with 


52  The  Little  Savage 

your  father's  permission,  taken  a  week's  provisions,  with 
the  intention  of  making  a  tour  round  the  island,  and 
ascertaining  whether  any  valuable  information  could  be 
brought  back  ;  they  were  the  carpenter  and  one  of  the 
seamen.  It  appears  that  during  their  return,  as  they  were 
crossing  the  highest  ridge,  they,  feeling  very  thirsty,  and 
not  finding  water,  attempted  to  refresh  themselves  by 
eating  some  berries  which  they  found  on  a  plant.  These 
berries  proved  to  be  strong  poison,  and  they  returned 
very  ill — after  languishing  a  few  days,  they  both  died. 

"  This  was  an  event  which  roused  us  up,  and  broke  the 
monotony  of  our  life ;  but  it  was  one  which  was  not  very 
agreeable  to  dwell  upon,  and  yet,  at  the  same  time,  I  felt 
rather  pleasure  than  annoyance  at  it — I  felt  that  I  was  of 
more  consequence,  and  many  other  thoughts  entered  my 
mind  which  I  shall  not  now  dwell  upon.  We  buried  them 
in  the  guano,  under  the  first  high  rock,  where,  indeed,  the 
others  were  all  subsequently  buried.  Three  more  months 
passed  away,  when  the  other  seaman  was  missing.  After 
a  search,  his  trousers  were  found  at  the  edge  of  the  rock. 
He  had  evidently  been  bathing  in  the  sea,  for  the  day  on 
which  he  was  missed,  the  water  was  as  smooth  as  glass. 
Whether  he  had  seen  something  floating,  which  he  wished 
to  bring  to  land,  or  whether  he  had  ventured  for  his  own 
amusement,  for  he  was  an  excellent  swimmer,  could  never 
be  ascertained — any  more  than  whether  he  had  sunk  with 
the  cramp,  or  had  been  taken  down  by  a  shark.  He  never 
appeared  again,  and  his  real  fate  is  a  mystery  to  this  day, 
and  must  ever  remain  so.  Thus  were  we  reduced  to  four 
men — your  father,  the  captain,  the  mate,  and  me.  But 
you  must  be  tired — I  will  stop  now,  and  tell  you  the 
remainder  some  other  time." 

Although  I  was  not  tired,  yet,  as  Jackson  appeared  to 
be  so,  I  made  no  objection  to  his  proposal,  and  we  both 
went  to  sleep. 

While  I  had  read  the  Bible  to  Jackson,  I  had  often  been 
puzzled  by  numbers  being  mentioned,  and  never  could 
understand  what  was  meant,  that  is,  I  could  form  no  idea 


\ 


The  Little  Savage  ^^ 

of  the  quantity  represented  by  seventy  or  sixty,  or  what- 
ever it  might  be.  Jackson's  answer  was,  *'  Oh  !  it  means 
a  great  many  ;  I'll  explain  to  you  bye-and-bye,  but  we  have 
nothing  to  count  with,  and  as  I  am  blind,  I  must  have 
something  in  my  hand  to  teach  you."  I  recollected  that  at 
the  bathing  pool  there  were  a  great  many  small  shells  on 
the  rocks,  about  the  size  of  a  pea ;  there  were  live  fish  in 
them,  and  they  appeared  to  crawl  on  the  rocks.  I  collected 
a  great  quantity  of  these,  and  brought  them  up  to  the 
cabin,  and  requested,  Jackson  would  teach  me  to  count. 
This  he  did,  until  he  came  to  a  thousand,  which  he  said 
was  sufficient.  For  many  days  I  continued  to  count  up  to 
a  hundred,  until  I  was  quite  perfect,  and  then  Jackson 
taught  me  addition  and  subtraction  to  a  certain  degree,  by 
making  me  add  and  take  away  from  the  shells,  and  count 
the  accumulation,  or  the  remainder.  At  last,  I  could 
remember  what  I  had  gained  by  manipulation,  if  I  may  use 
the  term,  but  further,  I  could  not  go,  although  addition 
had,  to  a  degree,  made  me  master  of  multiplication,  and 
subtraction  gave  me  a  good  idea  of  division. 

This  was  a  new  delight  to  me,  and  occupied  me  for 
three  or  four  weeks.  At  last  I  had,  as  I  thought,  learned 
all  that  he  could  teach  me  in  his  blind  state,  and  I  threw 
away  the  shells,  and  sighed  for  something  more. 

Of  a  sudden  it  occurred  to  me,  that  I  had  never  looked 
into  the  book  which  still  lay  upon  the  shelf  in  the  cabin, 
and  I  saw  no  reason  now  that  I  should  not ;  so  I  mentioned 
it  to  Jackson,  and  asked  him  why  I  might  not  have  that 
book  ? 

"To  be  sure  you  may,"  replied  he;  "but  you  never 
asked  for  it,  and  I  quite  forgot  it." 

"  But  when  I  asked  you  before,  you  were  so  particular 
that  I  should  not  open  it.     What  was  your  reason  then  ? " 

Jackson  replied — "  I  had  no  reason  except  that  I  then 
disHked  you,  and  I  thought  that  looking  into  the  book 
would  give  you  pleasure.  It  belonged  to  that  poor  fellow 
that  was  drowned  ;  he  had  left  it  in  the  stern-sheets  of  the 
boat  when  we  were  at  Valdivia,  and  had  forgotten  it,  and 


54  The  Little  Savage 

we  found  it  there  when  we  landed  on  the  island.  Take  it 
down,  it  will  amuse  you." 

I  took  down  the  book,  and  opened  it.  It  was,  if  I 
recollect  right,  called  "  Mavor's  Natural  History."  At  all 
events,  it  was  a  Natural  History  of  Beasts  and  Birds,  with 
a  plate  representing  each,  and  a  description  annexed.  It 
would  be  impossible  for  me  to  convey  to  the  reader  my 
astonishment  and  delight.  I  had  never  seen  a  picture  or 
drawing  in  my  life.  I  did  not  know  that  such  things 
existed.  I  was  in  an  ecstasy  of  delight  as  I  turned  over 
the  pages,  hardly  taking  sufficient  time  to  see  one  object 
before  I  hastened  on  to  another.  For  two  or  three  hours 
did  I  thus  turn  over  leaves,  without  settling  upon  any  one 
animal ;  at  last  my  pulse  beat  more  regularly,  and  I  com- 
menced with  the  Lion.  But  now  what  a  source  of 
amusement,  and  what  a  multitude  of  questions  had  to  be 
answered  by  my  companion.  He  had  to  tell  me  all  about 
the  countries  in  which  the  animals  were  found ;  and  the 
description  of  the  animals,  with  the  anecdotes,  were  a 
source  of  much  conversation  j  and,  what  was  more,  the 
foregrounds  and  backgrounds  of  the  landscapes  with 
which  the  animals  were  surrounded  produced  new  ideas. 
There  was  a  palm-tree,  which  I  explained  to  Jackson,  and 
inquired  about  it.  This  led  to  more  inquiries.  The  lion 
himself  occupied  him  and  me  for  a  whole  afternoon,  and  it 
was  getting  dark  when  I  lay  down,  with  my  new  treasure 
by  my  side.  I  had  read  of  the  lion  in  the  Scriptures,  and 
now  I  recalled  all  the  passages  ;  and  before  I  slept  I 
thought  of  the  bear  which  destroyed  the  children  who  had 
mocked  Elisha  the  prophet,  and  I  determined  that  the  first 
animal  I  would  read  about  the  next  morning  should  be  the 
bear. 

I  think  that  this  book  lasted  me  nearly  two  months, 
during  which  time,  except  reading  a  portion  every  night 
and  morning  to  Jackson,  the  Bible  and  Prayer-book  were 
neglected.  Sometimes  I  thought  that  the  book  could  not 
be  true  j  but  when  I  came  to  the  birds,  I  found  those  which 
frequented  the  island  so  correctly  described,  that  I  had  no 


The  Little  Savage  ^^ 

longer  any  doubt  on  the  subject.  Perhaps  what  interested 
me  most  were  the  plates  in  which  the  barn-door  fowls  and 
the  peacock  were  described,  as  in  the  background  of  the 
first  were  a  cottage  and  figures,  representing  the  rural 
scenery  of  England,  my  own  country  ;  and  in  the  second 
there  was  a  splendid  mansion,  and  a  carriage  and  four 
horses  driving  up  to  the  door.  In  short,  it  is  impossible 
to  convey  to  the  reader  the  new  ideas  which  I  received 
from  these  slight  efforts  of  the  draftsman  to  give  effect  to 
his  drawing.  The  engraving  was  also  a  matter  of  much 
wonder,  and  required  a  great  deal  of  explanation  from 
Jackson.  This  book  became  my  treasure,  and  it  was  not 
till  I  had  read  it  through  and  through,  so  as  almost  to 
know  it  by  heart,  that  at  length  I  returned  to  my  Bible. 
All  this  time  I  had  never  asked  Jackson  to  go  on  with  his 
narrative  ;  but  now  that  my  curiosity  was  appeased,  I  made 
the  request.  He  appeared,  as  before,  very  unwilling  ;  but 
I  was  pertinacious,  and  he  was  worried  into  it. 

"  There  were  but  four  of  us  left  and  your  mother,  and 
the  mate  was  in  a  very  bad  state  of  health  ;  he  fretted  very 
much,  poor  fellow,  for  he  had  left  a  young  wife  in  England, 
and  what  he  appeared  to  fear  most  was,  that  she  would  be 
married  again  before  he  could  get  home.  It  ended  in  a 
confirmed  liver  complaint,  which  carried  him  off  nine 
months  afterwards ;  and  thus  was  one  more  of  our  com- 
panions disposed  of.  He  died  very  quietly,  and  gave  me 
his  sleeve-buttons  and  watch  to  deliver  to  his  wife,  if  ever 
I  should  escape  from  the  island.  I  fear  there  is  little 
chance  of  her  ever  receiving  them." 

**  Where  are  they  ? "  said  I,  recollecting  how  I  had  seen 
him  Hft  up  the  board  under  his  bed-place. 

"  I  have  them  safe,"  replied  Jackson,  "  and  if  necessary, 
will  tell  you  where  to  find  them." 

This  reply  satisfied  me,  and  I  allowed  him  to  proceed. 

"  We  buried  him  in  the  guano,  by  the  side  of  the  two 
others,  and  now  we  were  but  three.  It  was  at  this  time 
that  your  mother  was  confined  and  you  were  born ;  that 
is  about  three  months  after  the  death  of  the  mate.     We 


$6  The  Little  Savage 

had  just  finished  laying  in  our  stock  of  birds  for  the  year 
when  she  was  taken  ill,  sooner  than  was  expected,  and  it 
was  supposed  that  it  was  occasioned  by  over-exertion  at 
the  time.  However,  she  got  up  very  well  without  any 
medical  assistance,  and  your  father  was  much  pleased  at 
having  a  son,  for  he  had  been  married  five  years  without 
any  prospect  of  a  family.  I  ought  to  observe  that  the  loss 
of  our  companions,  one  after  another,  had  had  the  effect 
of  bringing  those  that  remained  much  closer  together ;  I 
was  treated  with  more  kindness  by  both  your  father  and 
mother,  and  the  captain,  and  I  returned  it  as  well  as  my 
feelings  would  permit  me,  for  I  could  not  altogether  get 
rid  of  my  animosity  to  your  father.  However,  we  became 
much  more  confidential,  that  is  certain,  and  I  was  now 
treated  as  an  equal. 

"  Six  months  passed  away  and  you  had  become  a  thriving 
child,  when  a  melancholy  occurrence "  —  here  Jackson 
covered  up  his  face  with  his  hands  and  remained  for  some 
time  silent. 

"  Go  on,"  said  I,  "  Jackson,  I  know  that  they  all  died 
somehow  or  another." 

**  Very  true,"  replied  he,  recovering  himself.  **  Well, 
your  father  disappeared.  He  had  gone  to  the  rocks  to 
fish,  and  when  I  was  sent  to  bring  him  home  to  dinner,  he 
was  nowhere  to  be  found.  It  was  supposed  that  a  larger 
fish  than  usual  had  been  fast  to  his  line,  and  that  he  had 
been  jerked  off  the  rocks  into  the  water  and  the  sharks  had 
taken  him.  It  was  a  dreadful  affair,"  continued  Jackson, 
again  covering  his  face. 

"  I  think,"  replied  I,  "  that  any  man  in  his  senses  would 
have  allowed  the  fish  to  have  taken  the  line  rather  than 
have  been  dragged  into  the  water.  I  don't  think  that  the 
supposed  manner  of  his  death  is  at  all  satisfactory." 

"Perhaps  not,"  replied  Jackson;  "his  foot  may  have 
slipped,  who  knows  ?  we  only  could  guess  ;  the  line  was 
gone  as  well  as  he,  which  made  us  think  what  I  said. 
Still  we  searched  everywhere,  but  without  hope ;  and  our 
search — that   is   the   captain's   and   mine,   for   your  poor 


The  Little   Savage  si 

mother  remained  with  you  in  her  arms  distracted — was  the 
cause  of  another  disaster — no  less  than  the  death  of  the 
captain.  They  say  misfortunes  never  come  single,  and 
surely  this  was  an  instance  of  the  truth  of  the  proverb.'* 

"  How  did  he  die  ?  "  replied  I,  gravely,  for  somehow 
or  other  I  felt  doubts  as  to  the  truth  of  what  he  was  say- 
ing. Jackson  did  not  reply  till  after  a  pause,  when  he 
said — 

**  He  was  out  with  me  up  the  ravine  collecting  firewood, 
and  he  fell  over  the  high  cliiF.  He  was  so  injured  that  he 
died  in  half  an  hour." 

*'What  did  you  do?" 

"What  did  I  do — what  could  I  do  but  go  back  and 
break  the  news  to  your  mother,  who  was  distracted  when 
she  heard  it ;  for  the  captain  was  her  friend,  and  she  could 
not  bear  me." 

"  Well  go  on,  pray,"  said  I. 

"  I  did  all  that  I  could  to  make  your  mother  comfortable, 
as  there  now  were  but  her,  you,  and  I,  left  on  the  island. 
You  were  then  about  three  years  old ;  but  your  mother 
always  hated  me,  and  appeared  now  to  hate  me  more  and 
more.  She  never  recovered  the  loss  of  your  father  to 
whom  she  was  devotedly  attached ;  she  pined  away,  and 
after  six  months  she  died,  leaving  you  and  me  only  on  the 
island.  Now  you  know  the  whole  history,  and  pray  do 
not  ask  me  any  more  about  it." 


Chapter   X 

Jackson  threw  himself  back  in  his  bed-place  and  was 
silent.  So  was  I,  for  I  was  recalling  all  that  he  had  told 
me,  and  my  doubts  were  raised  as  to  the  truth  of  it.  I  did 
not  like  his  hurrying  over  the  latter  portion  of  his  narrative 
in  the  way  which  he  had  done.  What  he  had  said  about 
my  mother  was  not  satisfactory.  I  had  for  some  time 
been  gradually  drawing  towards  him,  not  only  shewing. 


^8  The  Little  Savage 

but  feeling,  for  him  a  great  increase  of  goodwill;  but 
suspicion  had  entered  my  mind,  and  I  now  began  to  feel 
my  former  animosity  towards  him  renewed.  A  night's 
sleep,  however,  and  more  reflection,  induced  me  to  think 
that  possibly  I  was  judging  him  too  harshly,  and  as  I 
could  not  afford  to  quarrel  with  him,  our  intercourse 
remained  as  amicable  as  before,  particularly  as  he  became 
more  and  more  amiable  towards  me  and  did  everything  in 
his  power  to  interest  and  amuse  me. 

I  was  one  day  reading  to  him  the  account  of  a  monkey 
given  in  the  book  of  Natural  History,  in  which  it  is  said 
that  that  animal  is  fond  of  spirits  and  will  intoxicate  itself, 
and  Jackson  was  telling  me  many  anecdotes  of  monkeys  on 
board  of  the  vessel  he  had  sailed  in,  when  it  occurred  to 
me  that  I  had  never  thought  of  mentioning  to  him  or  of 
ascertaining  the  contents  of  the  cask  which  had  been 
thrown  into  the  bathing-pool  with  the  seaman's  chest,  and 
I  did  so  then  to  Jackson,  wondering  at  its  contents  and 
how  they  were  to  be  got  at. 

Jackson  entered  into  the  question  warmly,  explaining  to 
me  how  and  where  to  bore  holes  with  a  gimlet,  and 
making  two  spiles  for  me  to  stop  the  holes  with.  As  soon 
as  he  had  done  so,  curiosity  induced  me  to  go  down  to  the 
pool  where  the  cask  had  been  lying  so  long,  in  about  a 
foot-and-half  water.  By  Jackson's  directions  I  took  a 
pannikin  with  me,  that  I  might  bring  him  a  specimen  of 
the  contents  of  the  cask,  if  they  should  prove  not  to  be 
water.  I  soon  bored  the  hole  above  and  below,  following 
Jackson's  directions,  and  the  liquor,  which  poured  out  in  a 
small  stream  into  the  pannikin,  was  of  a  brown  colour  and 
very  strong  in  odour,  so  strong,  indeed,  as  to  make  me 
reel  as  I  walked  back  to  the  rocks  with  the  pannikin  full 
of  it.  I  then  sat  down,  and  after  a  time  tasted  it.  I 
thought  I  had  swallowed  fire,  for  I  had  taken  a  good 
mouthful  of  it.  "This  cannot  be  what  Jackson  called 
spirits,"  said  I.  "  No  one  can  drink  this — what  can  it 
be  ? "  Although  I  had  not  swallowed  more  than  a  table- 
spoonful  of  it,  yet,  combined  with  the  fumes  of  the  liquor 


The  Little  Savage  59 

which  I  had  inhaled  when  drawing  it  off  into  the  pannikin, 
the  effect  was  to  make  my  head  swim,  and  I  lay  down  on 
the  rock  and  shut  my  eyes  to  recover  myself.  It  ended  in 
my  falling  asleep  for  many  hours,  for  it  was  not  much 
after  noon  when  I  went  to  the  cask,  and  it  was  near  sun- 
set when  I  awoke,  with  an  intense  pain  in  my  head.  It 
was  some  time  before  I  could  recollect  where  I  was,  or 
what  had  passed,  but  the  pannikin  full  of  liquor  by  my 
side  first  reminded  me ;  and  then  perceiving  how  late  it 
was,  and  how  long  I  must  have  slept,  I  rose  up,  and  taking 
the  pannikin  in  my  hand,  I  hastened  to  return  to  the  cabin. 

As  I  approached,  I  heard  the  voice  of  Jackson,  whose 
hearing,  since  his  blindness,  I  had  observed,  had  become 
peculiarly  acute. 

*'  Is  that  you,  Frank  ? " 

"  Yes,"  replied  I. 

"  And  what  has  kept  you  so  long — how  you  have 
frightened  me.  God  forgive  me,  but  I  thought  that 
I  was  to  be  left  and  abandoned  to  starvation." 

"Why  should  you  have  thought  that  ?  "  replied  I. 

"  Because  I  thought  that  some  way  or  another  you 
must  have  been  killed,  and  then  I  must  have  died,  of 
course.  I  never  was  so  frightened  in  my  life,  the  idea 
of  dying  here  all  alone — it  was  terrible." 

It  occurred  to  me  at  the  time  that  the  alarm  was  all  for 
himself,  for  he  did  not  say  a  word  about  how  sorry  he 
should  have  been  at  any  accident  happening  to  me,  but 
I  made  no  remark,  simply  stating  what  had  occurred,  and 
my  conviction  that  the  contents  of  the  cask  were  not 
drinkable. 

"  Have  you  brought  any  with  you  ? "  inquired  he, 
sharply. 

"  Yes,  here  it  is,"  said  I,  giving  him  the  pannikin. 

He  smelt  it,  and  raised  it  to  his  lips — took  about 
a  wine-glassful  of  it,  and  then  drew  his  breath. 

"  This  is  delightful,"  said  he  ;  "  the  best  of  old  rum, 
I  never  tasted  so  good.  How  big  did  you  say  that  the 
cask  was  ? " 


6o  The  Little  Savage 

I  described  it  as  well  as  I  could. 

**  Indeed,  then  it  must  be  a  whole  puncheon — that  will 
last  a  long  while." 

"  But  do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  really  like  to  drink 
that  stuff?  "  inquired  I. 

"  Do  I  like  to  drink  it  ?  yes,  it  is  good  for  men,  but  it's 
death  to  little  boys.  It  will  kill  you.  Don't  you  get  fond 
of  it.  Now  promise  me  that  you  will  never  drink  a  drop 
of  it.  You  must  not  get  fond  of  it,  or  some  sad  accident 
will  happen  to  you." 

"  I  don't  think  you  need  fear  my  drinking  it,"  replied  I. 
"  I  have  had  one  taste,  as  I  told  you,  and  it  nearly  burnt 
my  mouth.     I  shan't  touch  it  again." 

**  That's  right,"  replied  Jackson,  taking  another  quantity 
into  his  mouth.  "  You  are  not  old  enough  for  it ;  bye- 
and-bye,  when  you  are  as  old  as  I  am,  you  may  drink  it, 
then  it  will  do  you  good.  Now,  I'll  go  to  bed,  it's  time 
for  bed.  Bring  the  pannikin  after  me  and  put  it  by  my 
side.     Take  care  you  don't  spill  any  of  it." 

Jackson  crawled  to  his  bed,  and  I  followed  him  with 
the  pannikin,  and  put  it  by  his  side,  as  he  requested,  and 
I  returned  to  my  own  resting-place,  without  however 
having  the  least  inclination  to  sleep,  having  slept  so  long 
during  the  day. 

At  first  Jackson  was  quiet,  but  I  heard  him  occasion- 
ally applying  to  the  pannikin,  which  held,  I  should  say, 
about  three  half-pints  of  liquor.  At  last  he  commenced 
singing  a  sea  song  ;  I  was  much  surprised,  as  I  had  never 
heard  him  sing  before ;  but  I  was  also  much  pleased,  as  it 
was  the  first  time  that  I  had  ever  heard  anything  like  melody, 
for  he  had  a  good  voice  and  sang  in  good  tune.  As  soon 
as  he  had  finished,  I  begged  him  to  go  on. 

**  Ah  !  "  replied  he,  with  a  gay  tone  I  had  never  heard 
from  him  before.  "  You  like  songs,  do  you  ?  my  little 
chap.  Well,  I'll  give  you  plenty  of  them.  'Tis  a  long 
while  since  I  have  sung,  but  it's  a  *  poor  heart  that  never 
rejoice th.'  The  time  was  when  no  one  in  company  could 
sing  a  song  as  I  could,  and  so  I  can  again,  now  that  I 


The  Little  Savage  6i 

have  something  to  cheer  my  heart.  Yes,  here's  another 
for  you.  I  shall  rouse  them  all  out  by-and-bye,  as  I  get 
the  grog  in — no  fear  of  that — you  find  the  stuff,  and  I'll 
find  songs." 

I  was  surprised  at  first  at  this  unusual  mirth ;  but 
recollecting  what  Jackson  had  told  me  about  his  intemper- 
ance, I  presumed  that  this  mirth  which  it  produced  was 
the  cause  why  he  indulged  so  much  in  it ;  and  I  felt  less 
inclined  to  blame  him.  At  all  events,  I  was  much  pleased 
with  the  songs  that  he  sang  to  me  one  after  another  for 
three  or  four  hours,  when  his  voice  became  thick,  and, 
after  some  muttering  and  swearing,  he  was  quite  silent, 
and  soon  afterwards  snored  loudly.  I  remained  awake 
some  time  longer,  and  then  I  also  sank  into  forgetful- 
ness. 

When  I  awoke  the  next  morning,  I  found  Jackson  still 
fast  asleep.  I  waited  for  him  for  our  morning  meal ;  but, 
as  he  did  not  wake,  I  took  mine  by  myself,  and  then 
I  walked  out  to  the  rock,  where  I  usually  sat,  and  looked 
round  the  horizon  to  see  if  there  was  anything  in  sight. 
The  spy-glass,  from  having  been  in  sea  water,  was  of  no 
use,  and  I  did  not  know  what  to  do  with  it ;  nor  could 
Jackson  instruct  me.  After  I  had  been  out  about  an  hour 
I  returned,  and  found  Jackson  still  snoring,  and  I  deter- 
mined to  wake  him  up.  I  pushed  him  for  some  time 
without  success  ;  but,  at  last  he  opened  his  eyes,  and  said : 

**  My  watch  already  ? " 

"  No,"  said  I ;  **  but  you  have  slept  so  long,  that  I  have 
waked  you  up." 

He  paused,  as  if  he  did  not  know  my  voice,  and  then 
said  : 

"  But  I  can't  see  anything  ;  how's  this  ?  " 

"Why,  don't  you  know  that  you're  blind,  Jackson?" 
replied  I,  with  amazement. 

"  Yes,  yes  ;  I  recollect  now.  Is  there  anything  in  the 
pannikin  ? " 

"  Not  a  drop,"  replied  I ;  "  why,  you  must  have  drunk 
it  all." 


62  The  Little  Savage 

"  Yes,  I  recollect  now.  Get  me  some  water,  my  good 
boy  •,  for  I  am  dying  with  thirst." 

I  went  for  the  water  ;  he  drank  the  whole  pannikin, 
and  asked  for  more. 

"Won't  you  have  something  to  eat  ?"  said  I. 

**  Eat  ?  oh  no  J  I  can't  eat  anything.  Give  me  drink  ; " 
and  he  held  out  his  hand  for  the  pannikin.  I  perceived 
how  it  trembled  and  shook,  and  I  observed  it  to  him. 

"  Yes,"  replied  he,  "  that's  always  the  case  after  a 
carouse,  and  I  had  a  good  one  last  night — the  first  for 
many  a  year.  But  there's  plenty  more  of  it.  I  wish  you 
would  get  me  a  little  more  now,  Frank,  just  to  steady 
me  ;  just  about  two  or  three  mouthfuls,  no  more ;  that  is, 
no  more  till  night-time.  Did  I  make  much  noise  last 
night?" 

"  You  sang  several  songs,"  replied  I,  "  with  which  I 
was  much  amused." 

"  I'm  glad  that  you  liked  them.  I  used  to  be  con- 
sidered a  good  singer  in  my  day  ;  indeed,  if  I  had  not 
been  such  good  company,  as  they  term  it,  I  had  not 
become  so  fond  of  drinking.  Just  go  and  fetch  me  about 
half  an  inch  high  of  the  pannikin,  my  good  fellow,  that's 
all  I  want  now." 

I  went  down  to  the  cask,  drew  of  the  quantity  that  he 
requested,  and  brought  it  to  him.  He  drank  it  off;  and, 
in  a  few  moments,  appeared  to  be  quite  himself  again. 
He  then  asked  for  something  to  eat,  and  commenced 
telling  me  a  variety  of  stories  relative  to  what  he  termed 
jolly  parties  in  his  former  days ;  so  that  the  day  passed 
very  agreeably.     As  the  night  closed  in,  he  said : 

"  Now,  Frank,  I  know  you  want  to  hear  some  more 
songs ;  so  go  down  and  bring  me  up  a  full  pannikin,  and 
I  will  sing  you  plenty." 

I  complied  with  his  request,  for  I  was  anxious  to  be 
again  amused  as  I  was  the  night  before.  The  con- 
sequence was  that  this  night  was,  in  the  early  portion  of 
it,  but  a  repetition  of  the  previous  one.  Jackson  took 
the    precaution    to    get    into    his    bed-place    before    he 


The  Little  Savage  6^ 

commenced  drinking ;  and,  as  soon  as  he  had  taken  his 
second  dose,  he  asked  me  what  sort  of  songs  I  liked. 
My  reply  naturally  was,  that  I  had  never  heard  any  one 
sing  but  him,  and  therefore  could  not  say. 

"  What  did  I  sing  to  you  last  night  ? "  said  he. 

I  replied  as  well  as  I  could. 

"  Ah,"  said  he,  "  they  were  all  sea  songs ;  but  now  I 
will  give  you  something  better." 

After  a  little  thought,  he  commenced  singing  a  very 
beautiful  and  plaintive  one,  and  certainly  much  better 
than  he  had  sung  the  night  before ;  for  he  now  was 
sober.  The  consequence  was,  that  I  was  still  more 
delighted ;  and,  at  my  request,  he  sang  several  others  ; 
but  at  last  his  speech  became  rapid  and  thick,  and  he 
would  not  sing  any  more,  using  some  very  coarse 
expressions  to  me  when  I  asked  him.  For  a  time  he 
was  silent,  and  I  thought  that  he  was  going  to  sleep, 
and  I  was  reflecting  upon  the  various  effects  which  the 
liquor  appeared  to  have  upon  him,  when  I  heard  him 
talking  and  muttering,  and  I  listened. 

"  Never  mind  how  I  got  them,"  said  he  ;  "  quite  as 
honestly  as  other  people,  Old  Moshes.  There  they  are, 
do  you  choose  to  buy  them  ?  "  Then  there  was  a  pause, 
after  which  he  commenced :  **  They're  as  pure  diamonds 
as  ever  came  out  of  a  mine.  I  know  that,  so  none  of 
your  lies,  you  old  Jew.  Where  did  I  come  by  them  ? 
that's  no  concern  of  yours.  The  question  is,  will  you 
give  me  the  price,  or  will  you  not  ?  Well,  then,  I'm  off. 
No,  I  won't  come  back,  you  old  thief."  Here  he  swore 
terribly,  and  then  was  silent. 

After  a  while  he  recommenced — 

"Who  can  ever  prove  that  they  were  Henniker's 
diamonds  ? " 

I  started  up  at  the  mention  of  my  father's  name  ;  I 
rested  with  my  hands  on  the  floor  of  the  cabin,  breathless 
as  to  what  would  come  next. 

"  No,  no,"  continued  Jackson,  "  he's  dead,  and  food  for 
fishes — dead  men  tell  no  tales — and  she's  dead,  and  the 


64  The  Little  Savage 

captain's  dead,  all  dead — yes,  all , "  and  he  gave  a  bitter 
groan  and  was  silent. 

The  day  was  breaking,  and  I  could  just  see  him  as  he 
lay ;  but  he  said  no  more,  and  appeared  to  breathe 
heavily.  As  the  sun  rose,  I  got  out  of  my  bed-place  ; 
and,  now  that  it  was  broad  daylight,  I  looked  at  Jackson. 
He  was  lying  on  his  back ;  his  brow  was  covered  with 
large  drops  of  perspiration,  and  his  hands  were  clenched 
together.  Although  asleep,  he  appeared,  by  the  con- 
vulsive twitching  of  the  muscles  of  his  face,  to  be 
suffering  and  in  great  agony.  Occasionally  he  groaned 
deeply,  and  his  lips  appeared  to  move,  but  no  sound 
proceeded  from  them.  I  perceived  that  the  pannikin 
of  liquor  was  not  finished,  one-third  at  least  having  been 
left. 


Chapter  XI 

I  THEN  went  out  of  the  cabin  and  took  my  usual  seat,  and 
began  to  reflect  upon  what  I  had  heard.  He  had  talked 
about  diamonds  j  now  I  knew  what  diamonds  were,  so 
far  as  they  were  of  great  value,  for  I  had  read  of  them 
in  the  Bible,  and  Jackson  had  explained  the  value  of 
precious  stones  to  me,  and  had  told  me  of  diamonds  of 
very  great  value  indeed.  Then  he  said  that  they  were 
Henniker's  diamonds — he  must  have  meant  my  father, 
that  was  positive.  And  that  no  one  could  prove  they 
were  his — this  implied  that  Jackson  had  no  right  to  them  % 
indeed  how  could  he  have  ?  And  then  I  recalled  to  mind 
his  having  a  secret  hiding  place  under  his  bed,  where  I 
presumed  the  diamonds  were  deposited.  I  then  turned 
over  in  my  mind  what  he  had  told  me  relative  to  the 
death  of  my  father,  the  captain,  and  my  mother,  how 
confused  he  Vv^as,  and  how  glad  he  was  to  get  rid  of  the 
subject,  and  how  unsatisfactory  I  thought  his  account  was 
at  the  time.     After  much  cogitation,  I  made  up  my  mind 


The  Little  Savage  6$ 

that  Jackson  had  not  told  me  the  truth,  and  that  there 
was  a  mystery  yet  to  be  explained ;  but  how  was  I  to 
get  at  it  ?  There  was  but  one  way.  The  liquor  made 
him  talk.  I  would  supply  him  with  liquor,  and  by 
degrees  I  would  get  the  truth  out  of  him.  At  the  same 
time  I  would  not  allow  him  to  suppose  that  he  had  said 
anything  to  commit  himself,  or  that  I  had  any  suspicions. 

How  naturally  do  we  fall  into  treachery  and  deceit, 
from  the  evil  in  our  own  hearts,  without  any  assistance 
or  example  from  the  world.  How  could  I  have  learnt 
deceit  ?  Isolated  as  I  had  been,  must  it  not  have  been 
innate  ? 

I  returned  to  the  cabin,  and  woke  Jackson  without 
much  difficulty,  since  he  had  not  drunk  so  much  as  on 
the  previous  night. 

**  How  are  you  this  morning  ?  "  said  I. 

"  Not  very  well ;  I  have  had  some  bad  dreams." 

"  Well  you  sang  me  some  beautiful  songs,"  replied  I. 

**  Yes,  I  recollect,"  said  he  ;  "  but  I  fell  asleep  at  last." 

"  Yes,  you  refused  to  sing  any  more,  and  went  off  in 
a  loud  snore." 

Jackson  got  out  of  his  bed-place,  and  I  gave  him  his 
meal.  We  talked  during  the  whole  day  about  singing, 
and  I  hummed  the  air  which  had  pleased  me  most. 

"  You  have  got  the  air  pretty  correct,"  said  he ;  "  you 
must  have  an  ear  for  music.  Have  you  ever  tried  to 
sing  ? " 

"  No,  never  ;  you  know  I  have  not." 

**  You  might  have  tried  when  I  was  not  with  you. 
Try  now.  I  will  sing  a  tune,  and  then  do  you  repeat 
it  after  me." 

He  did  so,  and  I  repeated  it. 

"  Very  good,"  said  he.  "  Let's  try  the  compass  of 
your  voice." 

He  ran  up  the  gamut,  and  I  followed  him. 

"I  think  you  can  go  higher  than  I  can,"  said  he,  "how- 
ever you  go  quite  high  enough,  so  now  I'll  give  you  a 
singing  lesson." 

L.s.  E 


66  The  Little  Savage 

Thus  were  we  occupied  at  intervals  during  the  whole 
day,  for  Jackson  would  not  allow  me  to  try  my  voice 
too  much  at  first.  As  the  evening  fell,  he  again  asked 
me  to  fetch  some  liquor,  and  as  I  had  three  quart  wine 
bottles,  as  I  before  mentioned,  which  I  had  found  in  the 
chest,  I  took  them  down  to  fill,  as  it  would  save  me  many 
trips,  and  be  more  convenient  in  every  respect. 

I  brought  them  up  full,  and  Jackson  stopped  them  up 
with  some  of  the  rags  which  I  had  torn  to  bind  round 
his  wrist,  and  put  them  all  three  in  his  bed-place. 

"  That  will  be  a  much  better  arrangement,"  said  he, 
"  as  now  I  can  pour  out  the  liquor  into  the  pannikin  as 
I  want  it ;  besides,  I  mean  to  take  a  little  water  with 
it  in  future.  It's  not  quite  so  good  with  water,  but 
it  lasts  longer,  and  one  don't  go  to  sleep  so  soon.  Well, 
I  httle  thought  that  I  should  have  such  a  comfort  sent 
me  after  all  my  sufferings.  I  don't  so  much  care  now 
about  staying  here.  Go  and  fetch  some  water  in  the 
pannikin." 

That  night  was  a  repetition  of  the  first.  Jackson  sang 
till  he  was  intoxicated,  and  then  fell  fast  asleep,  not 
talking  or  saying  a  word,  and  I  was  disappointed,  for  I 
remained  awake  to  catch  anything  he  might  say.  It 
would  be  tedious  to  repeat  what  took  place  for  about 
a  month  ; — suffice  it  to  say  it  was  very  rarely,  during 
that  time,  that  Jackson  said  anything  in  his  sleep,  or 
drunken  state,  and  what  he  did  say  I  could  make  nothing 
of.  He  continued,  in  the  daytime,  to  give  me  lessons 
in  singing,  and  I  could  now  sing  several  songs  very 
correctly.  At  night,  he  returned  to  his  usual  habit,  and 
was  more  or  less  intoxicated  before  the  night  was  over. 
I  perceived,  however,  that  this  excess  had  a  great  effect 
upon  his  constitution,  and  that  he  had  become  very  pale 
and  haggard.  Impatient  as  I  felt  to  find  out  the  truth, 
I  concealed  my  feelings  towards  him  (which  had  certainly 
very  much  changed  again  since  the  discovery  I  had  made 
and  the  suspicions  I  had  formed)  and  I  remained  on  the 
best  of  terms  with  him,  resolving  to  wait  patiently.     He 


The  Little  Savage  d^j 

had  spoken  once,  and  therefore  I  argued  that  he  would 
speak  again,  nor  was  I  wrong  in  my  calculations. 

One  night,  after  he  had  finished  his  usual  allowance 
of  liquor,  and  had  composed  himself  for  sleep,  I  observed 
that  he  was  unusually  restless,  changing  his  position  in 
his  bed-place  every  few  minutes,  and,  at  last,  he  muttered, 
**  Captain  James.     Well,  what  of  Captain  James,  eh  ?  " 

A  thought  struck  me  that  he  might  reply  to  a  question. 

**  How  did  he  die  ?  "  said  I,  in  a  low  clear  voice. 

"  Die  ?  "  replied  Jackson,  "  he  fell  down  the  cliff.  Yes, 
he  did.  You  can't  say  I  killed  him.  No — never  put 
my  finger  on  him." 

After  that,  he  was  silent  for  some  time,  and  then  he 
recommenced. 

**  She  always  said  that  I  destroyed  them  both,  but  I 
did  not — only  one — yes,  one,  I  grant — but  I  hated  him — 
no,  not  for  his  diamonds — no,  no — if  you  said  his  wife 
indeed — love  and  hate." 

"  Then  you  killed  him  for  love  of  his  wife,  and  hate  of 
himself?" 

"  Yes,  I  did.  Who  are  you  that  have  guessed  that  ? 
Who  are  you  ?     I'll  have  your  life." 

As  he  said  this,  he  started  up  in  his  bed-place,  awakened 
by  his  dream,  and  probably  by  my  voice,  which  he  had 
replied  to. 

"  Who  spoke  ?  "  said  he.  **  Frank  Henniker,  did  you 
speak  ? " 

I  made  no  reply,  but  pretended  to  be  sound  asleep,  as 
he  still  sat  up,  as  if  watching  me.     I  feigned  a  snore. 

**  It  could  not  have  been  him,"  muttered  Jackson,  **  he's 
quite  fast.     Mercy,  what  a  dream  !  " 

He  then  sank  down  in  his  bed-place,  and  I  heard  the 
gurgling  noise  which  told  me  that  he  had  put  the  bottle  of 
liquor  to  his  mouth,  and  was  drinking  out  of  it.  From 
the  time  that  the  gurgling  lasted,  he  must  have  taken  a 
great  deal.     At  last,  all  was  quiet  again. 

"  So  I  have  discovered  it  at  last,"  said  I,  as  my  blood 
boiled  at  what  I  had  heard.     **  He  did  murder  my  father. 


68  The  Little  Savage 

Shall  I  kill  him  while  he  sleeps  ? "  was  the  first  thought 
that  came  into  my  troubled  mind.  "  No,  I  won't  do  that. 
"What  then,  shall  I  tax  him  with  it  when  he  is  awake,  and 
then  kill  him  ? "  but  I  thought,  that,  as  he  was  blind,  and 
unable  to  defend  himself,  it  would  be  cowardly,  and  I 
could  not  do  that.  What  then  was  I  to  do  ?  and  as  I 
cooled  down,  I  thought  of  the  words  of  the  Bible,  that  we 
were  to  return  good  for  evil ;  for  Jackson,  of  whom, 
when  I  read  it,  I  asked  why  we  were  told  to  do  so,  had 
explained  it  to  me,  and  afterwards  when  I  came  to  the 
part  which  said,  "  Vengeance  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord,"  he 
had  told  me  that  there  was  punishment  for  the  wicked 
hereafter,  and  that  was  the  reason  why  we  were  not  to 
obey  the  Jewish  law  of  "  an  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth 
for  a  tooth,"  which  I  had  referred  to.  This  portion  of  the 
Bible  he  had  well  explained,  and  certain  it  is  that  it  pre- 
vented my  raising  my  hand  against  him  that  night.  Still, 
I  remained  in  a  state  of  great  excitement ;  I  felt  that  it 
would  be  impossible  for  me  to  be  any  longer  on  good 
terms  with  him,  and  I  revolved  the  question  in  my  mind, 
till  at  last,  worn  out  by  excitement,  I  fell  fast  asleep. 

A  short  time  before  daylight,  I  started  up  at  what  I 
thought  was  a  faint  cry,  but  I  listened,  and  hearing 
nothing  more,  I  again  fell  asleep,  and  it  was  broad 
daylight  when  I  arose  ;  my  first  thoughts  were  naturally 
of  Jackson,  and  I  looked  at  where  he  lay,  but  he  was  no 
longer  there — his  bed-place  was  empty.  I  was  astonished, 
and  after  a  moment's  thought,  I  recollected  the  cry  I  had 
heard  in  the  night,  and  I  ran  out  of  the  cabin  and 
looked  around  me,  but  I  could  see  nothing  of  him. 
I  then  went  to  the  edge  of  the  flat  rock  upon  which 
the  cabin  was  built  and  looked  over  it ;  it  was  about 
thirty  feet  from  this  rock  to  the  one  below,  and  nearly 
perpendicular.  I  thought  that  he  must  have  gone  out  in 
the  night,  when  intoxicated  with  liquor,  and  have  fallen 
down  the  precipice  ;  but  I  did  not  see  him  as  I  peered 
over.  "  He  must  have  gone  for  water,"  thought  I,  and 
I  ran  to  the  corner  of  the  rock,  where  the  precipice  was 


The  Little  Savage  69 

much  deeper,  and  looking  over,  I  perceived  him  lying 
down  below  without  motion  or  apparent  life.  I  had,  then, 
judged  rightly.  I  sat  down  by  the  side  of  the  pool  of 
water  quite  overpowered  ;  last  night  I  had  been  planning 
how  I  should  destroy  him,  and  now  he  lay  dead  before  me 
without  my  being  guilty  of  the  crime.  "Vengeance  is 
mine,  saith  the  Lord,"  were  the  words  that  first  escaped 
my  lips  ;  and  I  remained  many  minutes  in  deep  thought. 
At  last  it  occurred  to  me  that  he  might  not  yet  be 
dead ;  I  ran  down  the  cliff,  and,  clambering  over  the 
rocks,  arrived  breathless  at  the  spot  where  Jackson  lay. 
He  groaned  heavily  as  I  stood  by  him. 

"  Jackson,"  said  I,  kneeling  down  by  him,  "  are  you 
much  hurt  ? "  for  all  my  feelings  of  animosity  had  vanished 
when  I  perceived  his  unhappy  condition.  His  lips  moved, 
but  he  did  not  utter  any  sound.  At  last  he  said,  in  a  low 
voice,  "  Water."  I  hastened  back  as  fast  as  I  could  to 
the  cabin,  got  a  pannikin  half  full  of  water,  and  poured 
a  little  rum  in  it  out  of  the  bottle.  This  journey  and 
my  return  to  him  occupied  some  ten  minutes.  I  put  it  to 
his  lips,  and  he  seemed  to  revive.  He  was  a  dreadful 
object  to  look  at.  The  blood  from  a  cut  on  his  head  had 
poured  over  his  face  and  beard,  which  were  clotted  with 
gore.  How  to  remove  him  to  the  cabin  I  knew  not. 
It  would  be  hardly  possible  for  me  to  carry  him  over 
the  broken  rocks  which  I  had  climbed  to  arrive  at 
where  he  lay  ,  and  there  was  no  other  way  but  what 
was  longer,  and  just  as  difficult.  By  degrees  he  appeared 
to  recover ;  I  gave  him  more  of  the  contents  of  the 
pannikin,  and  at  last  he  could  speak,  although  with 
great  pain  and  difficulty.  As  he  did  so  he  put  his  hand 
to  his  side.  He  was  indeed  a  ghastly  object,  with  his 
sightless  eyeballs,  his  livid  lips,  and  his  face  and  beard 
matted  with  blood. 

**  Do  you  think  you  could  get  to  the  cabin,  if  I  helped 
you  ?  "  said  I. 

**  I  shall  never  get  there — let  me  die  where  I  am,** 
said  he. 


70  The  Little  Savage 

"But  the  cut  on  your  head  is  not  very  deep,"  replied  I. 

"  No,  I  don't  feel  it ; — but — my  side — I  bleed  inwardly 
— I  am — broken  to  pieces,"  said  he,  pausing  and  gasping 
between  each  word. 

I  looked  at  his  side,  and  perceived  that  it  was  already 
black  and  much  swollen.  I  offered  him  more  drink,  which 
he  took  eagerly,  and  I  then  returned  for  a  further  supply. 
I  filled  two  of  the  wine-bottles  with  water  and  a  small 
drop  of  spirits  as  before,  and  went  back  to  where  he  lay. 
I  found  him  more  recovered,  and  I  had  hopes  that  he 
might  still  do  well,  and  I  told  him  so. 

**  No,  no,"  replied  he ;  **  I  have  but  a  few  hours  to  live 
— I  feel  that.     Let  me  die  here,  and  die  in  peace." 

He  then  sank  into  a  sort  of  stupor,  occasioned,  I  presume, 
by  what  I  had  given  him  to  drink,  and  remained  quite  quiet, 
and  breathing  heavily.  I  sat  by  him  waiting  till  he  should 
rouse  up  again ;  for  more  than  an  hour  I  was  in  a  very 
confused  state  of  mind,  as  may  well  be  imagined,  after 
what  had  passed  in  the  night. 


Chapter  XII 

What  I  most  thought  of  was  obtaining  from  him,  now 
that  he  was  dying,  the  full  truth  as  to  the  deaths  of  my 
father  and  mother. 

Jackson  remained  so  long  in  this  state  of  stupor,  I  feared 
that  he  would  die  before  I  could  interrogate  him;  but 
this,  as  it  proved,  was  not  to  be  the  case.  I  waited 
another  hour,  very  impatiently  I  must  acknowledge,  and 
then  I  went  to  him  and  asked  him  how  he  felt.  He  replied 
immediately,  and  without  that  difficulty  which  he  appeared 
before  to  have  experienced. 

"  I  am  better  now — the  inward  bleeding  has  stopped ; 
but  still  I  cannot  live — my  side  is  broken  in,  I  do  not  think 
there  is  a  rib  that  is  not  fractured  into  pieces,  and  my  spine 
is  injured,  for  I  cannot  move  or  feel  my  legs  5  but  I  may 


The  Little  Savage  71 

live  many  hours  yet,  and  I  thank  God  for  His  mercy  in 
allowing  me  so  much  time — short  indeed  to  make  repara- 
tion for  so  bad  a  life,  but  still  nothing  is  impossible  with 
God." 

**  Well,  then,"  replied  I,  "  if  you  can  speak,  I  wish  you 
would  tell  me  the  truth  relative  to  my  father's  death,  and 
also  about  the  death  of  others ;  as  for  my  father  I  know 
that  you  murdered  him — for  you  said  so  last  night  in  your 
sleep." 

After  a  pause,  Jackson  replied — **I  am  glad  that  I  did, 
and  that  you  have  told  me  so — I  wished  to  make  a  full 
confession  even  to  you,  for  confession  is  a  proof  of  repent- 
ance. I  know  that  you  must  hate  me,  and  will  hate  my 
memory,  and  I  cannot  be  surprised  at  it ;  but  look  at  me 
now,  Frank,  and  ask  your  own  heart  whether  I  am  not 
more  an  object  of  pity  than  of  hatred.  *  Vengeance  is 
mine,  saith  the  Lord  ! '  and  has  not  His  vengeance  fallen 
upon  me  even  in  this  world  ?  Look  at  me ;  here  I  am, 
separated  from  the  world  that  I  loved  so  much,  with  no 
chance  of  ever  joining  it — possessed  of  wealth  which  would 
but  a  few  months  ago  have  made  me  happy — now  blind, 
crushed  to  pieces  by  an  avenging  God,  in  whose  presence 
I  must  shortly  appear  to  answer  for  all  my  wickedness — 
all  my  expectations  overthrown,  all  my  hopes  destroyed, 
and  all  my  accumulated  sins  procuring  me  nothing,  but,  it 
may  be,  eternal  condemnation.  I  ask  you  again,  am  I  not 
an  object  of  pity  and  commiseration  ? " 

I  could  but  assent  to  this,  and  he  proceeded. 

"  I  will  now  tell  you  the  truth.  I  did  tell  the  truth  up 
to  the  time  of  your  father  and  mother's  embarkation  on 
board  of  the  brig,  up  to  when  the  gale  of  wind  came  on 
which  occasioned  eventually  the  loss  of  the  ship.  Now 
give  me  a  little  drink. 

"  The  vessel  was  so  tossed  by  the  storm,  and  the  waves 
broke  over  her  so  continually,  that  the  between-decks  were 
full  of  water,  and  as  the  hatches  were  kept  down,  the  heat 
was  most  oppressive.  When  it  was  not  my  watch  I 
remained  below,  and  looked  out  for  another  berth  to  sleep 


72  The  Little  Savage 

in.  Before  the  cabin  bulkheads  on  the  starboard  side, 
the  captain  had  fitted  up  a  sort  of  sail-room  to  contain  the 
spare  sails  in  case  we  should  require  them.  It  was  about 
eight  feet  square,  and  the  sails  were  piled  up  in  it,  so  as 
to  reach  within  two  feet  of  the  deck  overhead;  though 
the  lower  ones  were  wetted  with  the  water,  above  they 
were  dry,  and  I  took  this  berth  on  the  top  of  the  sails  as 
my  sleeping  place.  Now  the  state-room  in  which  your 
father  and  mother  slept  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  cabin 
bulkhead,  and  the  straining  and  rolling  of  the  vessel  had 
opened  the  chinks  between  the  planks,  so  that  I  could  see 
a  great  deal  of  what  was  done  in  the  state-room,  and  could 
hear  every  word  almost  that  was  spoken  by  them.  I  was 
not  aware  of  this  when  I  selected  this  place  as  my  berth, 
but  I  found  it  out  on  the  first  night,  the  light  of  the  candle 
shining  through  the  chinks  into  the  darkness  by  which  I 
was  surrounded  outside.  Of  course,  it  is  when  a  man  is 
alone  with  his  wife  that  he  taiks  on  confidential  subjects  ; 
that  I  knew  well,  and  hoped  by  listening  to  be  able  to 
make  some  discovery; — what,  I  had  no  idea  of;  but,  with 
the  bad  feelings  which  stimulated  me,  I  determined  not  to 
lose  an  opportunity.  It  was  not  till  about  a  week  after  I 
had  selected  this  berth,  that  I  made  any  discovery.  I  had 
had  the  watch  from  six  to  eight  o'clock,  and  had  gone  to 
bed  early.  About  nine  o'clock  your  father  came  into  the 
state-room.  Your  mother  was  already  in  bed.  As  your 
father  undressed,  your  mother  said,  *Does  not  that  belt 
worry  you  a  great  deal,  my  dear  ? ' 

***No,'  replied  your  father,  'I  am  used  to  it  now;  it 
did  when  I  first  put  it  on,  but  now  I  have  had  it  on  four 
days,  I  do  not  feel  it.  I  shall  keep  it  on  as  long  as  this 
weather  lasts ;  there  is  no  saying  what  may  happen,  and  it 
will  not  do  to  be  looking  for  the  belt  at  a  moment's 
warning.' 

"  *  Do  you  think  then  that  we  are  in  danger  ? ' 
"  *  No,  not  particularly  so,  but  the  storm  is  very  fierce, 
and  the  vessel  is  old  and  weak.     We  may  have  fine  weather 
in  a  day  or  two,  or  we   may  not ;    at   all   events,  when 


I 


The  Little  Savage  'j'Tf 

property  of  value  is  at  stake,  and  that  property  not  my 
own,  I  should  feel  myself  very  culpable,  if  I  did  not  take 
every  precaution.' 

"  '  Well — I  wish  we  were  safe  home  again,  my  dear, 
and  that  my  father  had  his  diamonds,  but  we  are  in  the 
hands  of  God.' 

"  *  Yes,  I  must  trust  to  Him,'  replied  your  father. 

**  This  circumstance  induced  me  to  look  through  one  of 
the  chinks  of  the  bulkhead,  so  that  I  could  see  your  father, 
and  I  perceived  that  he  was  unbuckling  a  belt  which  was 
round  his  body,  and  which  no  doubt  contained  the 
diamonds  referred  to.  It  was  of  soft  leather,  and  about 
eight  inches  wide,  sewed  lengthways  and  breadthways  in 
small  squares,  in  which  I  presumed  the  diamonds  were 
deposited.     After  a  time  your  mother  spoke  again. 

"  *  I  really  think,  Henniker,  that  I  ought  to  wear  the 
belt.' 

"  *  Why  so,  my  dear  ? ' 

"  *  Because  it  might  be  the  means  of  my  preservation  in 
case  of  accident.  Suppose  now,  we  were  obhged  to 
abandon  the  vessel  and  take  to  the  boats  -,  a  husband,  in 
his  hurry,  might  forget  his  wife,  but  he  would  not  forget 
his  diamonds.  If  I  wore  the  belt,  you  would  be  certain 
to  put  me  in  the  boat.' 

***That  observation  of  yours  would  have  force  with 
some  husbands,  and  some  wives,'  retorted  your  father  5 
'■  but  as  I  have  a  firm  belief  in  the  Scriptures,  it  does  not 
affect  me.  What  do  the  Proverbs  say  ?  "  The  price  of  a 
virtuous  woman  is  far  above  rubies  •, "  and  a  good  ruby  is 
worth  even  more  in  the  market  than  a  diamond  of  the 
same  size.' 

"  *  Well,  I  must  comfort  myself  with  that  idea,'  replied 
your  mother,  laughing. 

"  *  Supposing  we  be  thrown  upon  some  out-of-the-way 
place,'  said  your  father,  *  I  shall  then  commit  the  belt  to 
your  charge.  It  might  soon  be  discovered  on  my  person, 
whereas,  on  yours,  it  would  stand  every  chance  of  being 
long  concealed.     I  say  this  because,  even  in  a  desert,  it 


74  The  Little  Savage 

would  be  dangerous  to  have  it  known  by  unscrupulous  and 
unprincipled  men  that  anyone  had  so  much  wealth  about 
him.' 

"  *  Well,'  replied  your  mother,  *  that  is  also  comfortable 
for  me  to  hear,  for  you  will  not  leave  me  behind,  because 
I  shall  be  necessary  to  conceal  your  treasure.' 

"  *  Yes,'  replied  your  father,  laughing,  *  there  is  another 
chance  for  you,  you  see.' 

**  Your  father  then  extinguished  the  light,  and  the  con- 
versation was  not  renewed  -,  but  I  had  heard  enough. 
Your  father  carried  a  great  treasure  about  his  person — 
wealth,  I  took  it  for  granted,  that  if  I  once  could  obtain, 
and  return  to  England,  would  save  me  from  my  present 
position.  My  avarice  was  hereby  excited,  and  thus  another 
passion  equally  powerful,  and  equally  inciting  to  evil  deeds, 
was  added  to  the  hate  which  I  already  had  imbibed  for 
your  father.     But  I  must  leave  off  now." 

Jackson  drank  a  little  more,  and  then  remained  quiet, 
and  as  I  had  had  no  food  that  day,  I  took  the  opportunity  of 
returning  to  the  cabin,  with  the  promise  that  I  would  be 
back  very  soon.  In  half  an  hour  I  returned,  bringing  with 
me  the  Bible  and  Prayer-book,  as  I  thought  that  he  would 
ask  me  to  read  to  him  after  he  had  made  his  confession. 
I  found  him  breathing  heavily,  and  apparently  asleep,  so  I 
did  not  wake  him.  As  I  looked  at  him,  and  recalled  to 
mind  his  words,  "  Am  not  I  an  object  of  pity  ? "  I  confessed 
that  he  was,  and  then  I  asked  myself  the  question.  Can 
you  forgive  him  who  was  the  murderer  of  your  father  ? 
After  some  reflection,  I  thought  that  I  could.  Was  he  not 
already  punished  ?  Had  not  the  murder  been  already 
avenged  ?  It  was  not  possible  to  retain  animosity  against 
one  so  stricken,  so  broken  to  pieces,  and  my  heart  smote 
me  when  I  looked  at  his  disabled  hand,  and  felt  that  I, 
boy  as  I  was,  had  had  a  share  in  his  marring.  At  last  he 
spoke. 

"  Are  you  there,  Frank  ? " 

"  Yes,"  replied  I. 

*'  I  have  had  a  little  sleep,"  said  he. 


i 


The  Little  Savage  75 

**  Do  you  feel  easier  ? "  inquired  I  kindly. 

"  Yes,  I  feel  my  side  more  numbed,  and  so  it  will 
remain  till  mortification  takes  place.  But  let  me  finish  my 
confession ;  I  wish  to  relieve  my  mind,  not  that  I  shall  die 
to-night,  or  perhaps  to-morrow,  but  still  I  wish  it  over. 
Come  nearer  to  me,  that  I  may  speak  in  a  lower  voice,  and 
then  I  shall  be  able  to  speak  longer." 

I  did  so,  and  he  proceeded. 

"  You  know  how  we  were  cast  upon  this  island,  and 
how  I  behaved  at  first.  When  I  afterwards  took  my  place 
with  the  others,  my  evil  thoughts  gradually  quitted  me, 
and  I  gave  up  all  idea  of  any  injury  to  your  father.  But 
this  did  not  last  long.  The  deaths  of  so  many,  and  at  last 
the  captain  your  father  and  your  mother  being  the  only 
ones  left  on  the  island  besides  myself,  once  more  excited 
my  cupidity.  I  thought  again  of  the  belt  of  diamonds, 
and  by  what  means  I  should  gain  possession  of  it ;  and  the 
devil  suggested  to  me  the  murders  of  the  captain  and  of 
your  father.  I  had  ascertained  that  your  father  no  longer 
carried  the  belt  on  his  person  when  we  all  used  to  bathe 
at  the  bathing-pool ;  it  was,  therefore,  as  your  father  had 
proposed,  in  your  mother's  keeping.  Having  once  made 
up  my  mind,  I  watched  every  opportunity  to  put  my 
intentions  into  execution.  It  was  the  custom  for  one  of 
us  to  fish  every  morning,  as  your  mother  would  not  eat  the 
dried  birds,  if  fish  could  be  procured,  and  I  considered 
that  the  only  chance  I  had  of  executing  my  horrible  wish 
was  when  your  father  went  to  fish  off  the  rocks.  We 
usually  did  so  off  the  ledge  of  rocks  which  divide  the 
bathing-pool  from  the  sea,  but  I  found  out  another  place, 
where  more  fish,  and  of  a  better  quality,  were  to  be  taken, 
which  is  off  the  high  wall  of  rocks  just  below.  You  know 
where  I  mean,  I  have  often  sent  you  to  fish  there,  but  I 
never  could  go  myself  since  your  father's  death.  Your 
father  took  his  lines  there,  and  was  hauling  in  a  large  fish, 
when  I,  who  had  concealed  myself  close  to  where  he 
stood,  watched  the  opportunity  as  he  looked  over  the  rock 
to  see  if  the  fish  was  clear  of  the  water,  to  come  behind 


'jt  The  Little  Savage 

him  and  throw  him  ofF  into  the  sea.  He  could  not  swim, 
I  knew,  and  after  waiting  a  minute  or  two,  I  looked  over 
and  saw  his  body,  just  as  it  sank,  after  his  last  struggles. 
I  then  hastened  away,  and  my  guilty  conscience  induced  me 
to  ascend  the  ravine,  and  collect  a  faggot  of  firewood  to 
bring  home,  that  no  suspicions  might  be  entertained  j  but 
my  so  doing  was  the  very  cause  of  suspicion,  as  you  will 
afterwards  perceive.  I  returned  with  the  wood,  and  the 
captain  observed,  when  I  came  up  to  the  cabin  : 

<< « Why,  it's  something  new  for  you  to  collect 
wood  out  of  your  turn,  Jackson.  Wonders  will  never 
cease.' 

** '  The  fact  is,  that  I  am  becoming  very  amiable,'  replied 
I,  hardly  knowing  what  to  say,  and  afraid  to  look  either  of 
them  in  the  face,  for  your  mother,  with  you  on  her  lap, 
was  standing  close  by. 

"  *  Has  my  husband  caught  any  fish,  do  you  know, 
Jackson  ? '  said  your  mother,  '  for  it  is  high  time  that  he 
came  home.' 

"  « How  can  I  tell  ? '  replied  I.  '  I  have  been  up  the 
ravine  for  wood.' 

"  *  But  you  were  down  on  the  rock  two  hours  ago,' 
replied  your  mother,  *  for  Captain  James  saw  you  coming 
away.' 

**  *That  I  certainly  did,'  replied  the  captain.  'Had  he 
caught  any  fish  when  you  were  with  him  ? ' 

"  They  must  have  perceived  my  confusion  when  I  said, 
*  Yes,  I  was  on  the  rocks,  but  I  never  went  near  Henniker, 
that  I'll  swear.' 

"  *  You  must  have  been  near  him,  even  when  I  saw 
you,'  replied  the  captain. 

"  *  I  never  looked  at  him,  if  I  was,'  replied  I. 

"*Well,  then,  one  of  us  had  better  go  down  and  see 
what  he  is  about,'  said  the  captain.  *  Shall  I  leave 
Jackson  with  you  ? ' 

"  *  Yes,  yes,'  replied  your  mother,  much  agitated,  *  for  I 
have  my  forebodings  j  better  leave  him  here.' 

The  captain  hastened  down  to  the  rocks,  and  in  a 


li 


The  Little  Savage  77 

quarter  of  an  hour  returned  very  much    heated,  saying, 

*  He  is  not  there  ! ' 

"  *  Not  there  ? '  replied  I,  getting  up,  for  I  had  seated 
myself  in  silence  on  the  rock  during  the  captain's  absence : 

*  that's  very  odd.' 

"  *  It  is,'  replied  the  captain.  *  Jackson,  go  and  try  if 
you  see  anything  of  him,  while  I  attend  to  Mrs  Henniker.' 

"  Your  mother,  on  the  captain's  return,  had  bowed  her 
head  down  to  her  knees,  and  covered  her  face  with  her 
hands.  I  was  glad  of  an  excuse  to  be  away,  for  my  heart 
smote  me  as  I  witnessed  her  condition. 

*'  I  remained  away  half-an-hour,  and  then  returned, 
saying  that  I  could  see  nothing  of  your  father. 

**  Your  mother  was  in  the  cabin,  and  the  captain  went 
in  to  her,  while  I  remained  outside  with  all  the  feelings  of 
Cain  upon  my  brow. 

"  That  was  a  dreadful  day  for  all  parties — no  food  was 
taken.  Your  mother  and  the  captain  remained  in  the 
cabin,  and  I  dared  not,  as  usual,  go  in  to  my  own  bed- 
place.  I  lay  all  night  upon  the  rocks — sleep  I  could  not ; 
every  moment  I  saw  your  father's  body  sinking,  as  I  had 
seen  it  in  the  morning.  The  next  morning  the  captain 
came  out  to  me.  He  was  very  grave  and  stern,  but  he 
could  not  accuse  me,  whatever  his  suspicions  might  have 
been.  It  was  a  week  before  I  saw  your  mother  again,  for 
I  dared  not  intrude  into  her  presence ;  but,  finding  there 
was  no  accusation  against  me,  I  recovered  my  spirits,  and 
returned  to  the  cabin,  and  things  went  on  as  before. 


Chapter  XIII 

One  thing,  however,  was  evident,  that  your  mother  had 
an  aversion — I  may  say  a  horror — of  me,  which  she  could 
not  conceal.  She  said  nothing,  but  she  never  could  look 
at  me  ;  and  to  any  question  I  put,  would  seldom  make 
reply.     Strange  to  say  this  treatment   of  hers  produced 


yS  The  Little  Savage 

quite  a  different  effect  from  what  might  have  been 
anticipated,  and  I  felt  my  former  love  for  her  revive. 
Her  shrinking  from  me  made  me  more  familiar  towards 
her,  and  increased  her  disgust.  I  assumed  a  jocose  air 
with  her,  and  at  times  Captain  James  considered  it  his 
duty  to  interfere  and  check  me.  He  was  a  very  powerful 
man,  and  in  a  contest  would  have  proved  my  master ;  this 
I  knew,  and  this  knowledge  compelled  me  to  be  more 
respectful  to  your  mother  in  his  presence,  but  when  his 
back  was  turned  I  became  so  disgustingly  familiar,  that 
at  last  your  mother  requested  that  whether  fishing  or 
collecting  wood,  instead  of  going  out  by  turns  we  should 
both  go,  and  leave  her  alone.  This  I  could  not  well 
refuse,  as  Captain  James  would  in  all  probability  have 
used  force  if  I  had  not  consented,  but  my  hatred  to  him 
was  in  consequence  most  unbounded.  However,  an 
event  took  place  which  relieved  me  from  the  subjection 
which  I  was  under,  and  left  me  alone  with  you  and  your 
mother.  Now  I  must  rest  a  little.  Wait  another  hour, 
and  you  shall  know  the  rest." 

It  was  now  late  in  the  evening,  but  there  was  a  bright 
moon  which  shone  over  head,  and  the  broad  light  and 
shadow  made  the  rocks  around  us  appear  peculiarly  wild 
and  rugged.  They  towered  up  one  above  the  other  till 
they  met  the  dark  blue  of  the  sky  in  which  the  stars 
twinkled  but  faintly,  while  the  moon  sailed  through  the 
ether,  without  a  cloud  to  obscure  her  radiance.  And  in 
this  majestic  scenery  were  found  but  two  living  beings 
— a  poor  boy  and  a  mangled  wretch — a  murderer — soon 
to  breathe  his  last,  and  be  summoned  before  an  offended 
God.  As  I  remained  motionless  by  his  side,  I  felt,  as 
I  looked  up,  a  sensation  of  awe,  but  not  of  fear;  I  thought 
to  myself — "  And  God  made  all  this  and  all  the  world 
besides,  and  me  and  him.  The  Bible  said  so : "  and  my 
speculation  then  was  as  to  what  God  must  be,  for 
although  I  had  read  the  Bible,  I  had  but  a  confused  idea, 
and  had  it  been  asked  me,  as  it  was  of  the  man  in  the 
chariot    by    Philip,     "  Understandest     thou    what    thou 


The  Little  Savage  79 

readest  ? "  I  most  certainly  should  have  answered.  No. 
I  remained  for  nearly  two  hours  in  this  reverie,  and  at 
last  fell  asleep  with  my  back  against  the  rock.  I  was, 
however,  wakened  up  by  Jackson's  voice,  when  he  asked 
in  a  low  tone  for  water. 

**  There  it  is,"  said  I,  handing  it  to  him.  **  Have  you 
called  long  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  he  ;  "I  asked  but  once." 

"  I  have  been  asleep,"  said  I. 

As  soon  as  he  had  drunk,  he  said — 

"  I  will  finish  now ;  my  side  begins  to  burn." 

He  then  proceeded — 

"  It  was  about  four  months  after  your  father's  death 
that  Captain  James  and  I  went  together  to  the  ravine  to 
collect  firewood.  We  passed  under  the  wall  of  rock, 
which  you  know  so  well,  and  went  through  the  gap,  as 
we  call  it,  when  Captain  James  left  the  water-course  and 
walked  along  the  edge  of  the  wall.  I  followed  him ;  we 
both  of  us  had  our  pieces  of  rope  in  our  hands  with 
which  we  tied  the  faggots.  Of  a  sudden  his  foot  slipped, 
and  he  rolled  down  to  the  edge  of  the  rock,  but  catching 
hold  of  a  small  bush  which  had  fixed  its  roots  in  the 
rocks,  he  saved  himself  when  his  body  was  hanging  half 
over  the  precipice. 

**  *  Give  me  the  end  of  your  rope,*  said  he  to  me,  per- 
fectly collected,  although  in  such  danger. 

**  *  Yes,'  replied  I,  and  I  intended  so  to  do,  as  I  perceived 
that  if  I  refused  he  could  still  have  saved  himself  by  the 
bush  to  which  he  clung. 

**But  the  bush  began  to  loosen  and  give  way,  and 
Captain  James  perceiving  it  cried  out — 

"  *  Quick,  quick,  the  bush  is  giving  way  ! ' 

**  This  assertion  of  his  determined  me  not  to  give  him 
the  rope.  I  pretended  to  be  in  a  great  hurry  to  do  so, 
but  entangled  it  about  my  legs,  and  then  appeared 
occupied  in  clearing  it,  when  he  cried  again — 

"  *  Quick ! ' — and  hardly  had  he  said  the  word  when 
the  root  of  the  bush  snapped,  and  down  he  fell  below. 


8o  The  Little  Savage 

"I  heard  the  crash  as  he  came  to  the  rock  beneath. 
See  the  judgment  of  God — am  I  not  now  precisely  in 
his  position,  lying  battered  and  crushed  as  he  was  ? 
After  a  time  I  went  down  to  where  he  lay,  and  found 
him  expiring.  He  had  just  strength  to  say  *  God  forgive 
you,'  and  then  he  died.  It  was  murder,  for  I  could  have 
saved  him  and  would  not,  and  yet  he  prayed  to  God  to 
forgive  me.  How  much  happier  should  I  have  felt  if  he 
had  not  said  that.  His  *  God  forgive  you '  rang  in  my 
ears  for  months  afterwards.  I  returned  to  the  cabin,  and 
with  a  bold  air  stated  to  your  mother  what  had  happened, 
for  I  felt  I  could  say,  this  time,  I  did  not  do  the  deed.  She 
burst  out  into  frantic  exclamations,  accusing  me  of  being 
not  only  his  murderer  but  the  murderer  of  her  husband.  I 
tried  all  I  could  do  to  appease  her,  but  in  vain.  For  many 
weeks  she  was  in  a  state  of  melancholy  and  despondency, 
that  made  me  fear  for  her  life ;  but  she  had  you  still 
to  bestow  her  affections  upon,  and  for  your  sake  she 
lived.  I  soon  made  this  discovery.  She  was  now  wholly 
in  my  power,  but  I  was  awed  by  her  looks  even,  for  a 
time.  At  last  I  became  bolder,  and  spoke  to  her  of 
our  becoming  man  and  wife ;  she  turned  from  me  with 
abhorrence.  I  then  resorted  to  other  means.  I  prevented 
her  from  obtaining  food ;  she  would  have  starved  with 
pleasure,  but  she  could  not  bear  to  see  you  suffer.  I 
will  not  detail  my  cruelty  and  barbarity  towards  her; 
suffice  to  say,  it  was  such  that  she  pined  away,  and 
about  six  months  after  the  death  of  the  captain  she  died, 
exhorting  me  not  to  injure  you,  but  if  ever  I  had  an 
opportunity,  to  take  you  to  your  grandfather.  I  could 
not  refuse  this  demand,  made  by  a  woman  whom  I  as 
certainly  killed  by  slow  means  as  I  had  your  father  by 
a  more  sudden  death.  I  buried  her  in  the  guano,  by 
the  side  of  the  others.  After  her  death  my  life  was  a 
torture  to  me  for  a  long  while.  I  dared  not  kill  you, 
but  I  hated  you.  I  had  only  one  consolation,  one  hope, 
which  occasionally  gave  me  satisfaction  ;  the  consolation, 
if  so  it  could   be  called,  was — that  I  had  possession  of 


The  Little  Savage  8i 

the  diamonds ;  the  hope  —  that  I  should  one  day  see 
England  again.  You  see  me  now  —  are  they  not  all 
avenged  ?  " 

I  could  not  but  feel  the  truth  of  Jackson's  last  sentence. 
They  were  indeed  avenged. 

After  a  short  pause,  he  said  to  me — 

<*  Now,  Frank,  I  feel  that  the  mortification  in  my  side 
is  making  great  progress,  and,  in  a  short  time  I  shall 
be  in  too  great  pain  to  talk  to  you.  I  have  made  a  full 
confession  of  my  crimes  ;  it  is  all  the  reparation  I  can 
make  to  you.  Now,  can  you  forgive  me  ?  for  I  shall 
die  very  miserable  if  you  do  not.  Just  look  at  me.  Can 
you  feel  resentment  against  one  in  my  wretched  state  ? 
Recollect  that  you  pray  to  be  forgiven  as  you  forgive 
others.     Give  me  your  answer." 

"  I  think — yes,  I  feel  that  I  can  forgive  you,  Jackson," 
replied  I.  "I  shall  soon  be  left  alone  on  this  island, 
and  I  am  sure  I  should  be  much  more  miserable  than 
I  shall  be,  if  I  do  not  forgive  you.     I  do  forgive  you." 

**  Thanks  ;  you  are  a  good  boy,  and  may  God  bless 
you.     Is  it  not  nearly  daylight  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it  is.  I  shall  soon  be  able  to  read  the  Bible 
or  Prayer-book  to  you.     I  have  them  both  here." 

*'  The  pain  is  too  severe,  and  becomes  worse  every 
minute.  I  shall  not  be  able  to  listen  to  you  now  ;  but 
I  shall  have  some  moments  of  quiet  before  I  die  ;  and 
then " 

Jackson  groaned  heavily,  and  ceased  speaking. 

For  many  hours  he  appeared  to  suffer  much  agony, 
which  he  vented  in  low  groans ;  the  perspiration  hung 
on  his  forehead  in  large  beads,  and  his  breathing  became 
laborious.  The  sun  rose  and  had  nearly  set  again  before 
Jackson  spoke  ;  at  last  he  asked  for  some  drink, 

"It  is  over  now,"  said  he  faintly.  "The  pain  is 
subsiding,  and  death  is  near  at  hand.  You  may  read  to 
me  now ;  but,  first,  while  I  think  of  it,  let  me  tell  you 
where  you  will  find  your  father's  property." 

"I  know,"  rephed  I;  "in  your  bed-place  under  the 

L.S.  F 

.  1/- 

\^ 


82  The  Little  Savage 

board.  I  saw  you  remove  it  Vv'hen  you  did  not  see 
me." 

"  True.  I  have  no  more  to  say ;  it  will  all  be  over 
soon.  Read  the  burial  service  over  me  after  I  am  dead  ; 
and  now,  while  still  above,  read  me  what  you  think  I 
shall  hke  best ;  for  I  cannot  collect  myself  sufficiently 
to  tell  you  what  is  most  proper.  Indeed  I  hardly  know. 
But  I  can  pray  at  times.     Read  on." 

I  did  so,  and  came  upon  the  parable  of  the  prodigal 
son. 

"  That  suits  me,"  said  Jackson.  "  Now  let  me  pray. 
Pray  for  me,  Frank." 

^'  I  don't  know  how,"  replied  1 5  "  you  never  taught  me." 

*'  Alas,  no  !  " 

Jackson  was  then  silent.  I  saw  his  pale  lips  move 
for  some  time.  I  turned  away  for  a  few  moments  ;  when 
I  came  back  to  him,  he  was  no  more  !  His  jaw  had 
fallen ;  and  this  being  the  first  time  that  I  had  ever 
faced  death,  I  looked  upon  the  corpse  with  horror  and 
dismay. 

After  a  few  minutes  I  left  the  body,  and  sat  down  on 
a  rock  at  some  distance  from  it,  for  I  was  somewhat 
afraid  to  be  near  to  it.  On  this  rock  I  remained  till  the 
sun  was  sinking  below  the  horizon ;  when,  alarmed  at 
the  idea  of  being  there  when  it  was  dark,  I  took  up  my 
books  and  hastened  back  to  the  cabin,  I  was  giddy  from 
excitement,  and  not  having  tasted  food  for  many  hours. 
As  soon  as  I  had  eaten,  I  lay  down  in  my  bed-place, 
intending  to  reflect  upon  what  I  was  to  do,  now  that 
I  was  alone ;  but  I  was  in  a  few  moments  fast  asleep, 
and  did  not  wake  until  the  sun  was  high.  I  arose  much 
refreshed,  and,  seeing  my  Bible  and  Prayer-book  close 
to  my  bed-place,  I  recollected  my  promise  to  Jackson  that 
I  would  read  the  burial  service  over  his  body.  I  found 
the  place  in  the  Prayer-book,  for  I  had  read  it  more  than 
once  before  ;  and,  having  just  looked  over  it,  I  went  with 
my  book  to  where  the  body  lay.  It  presented  a  yet  more 
hideous   spectacle  than  it  had  the  night  before.     I  read 


The  Little  Savage  83 

the  service  and  closed  the  book.  "  What  can  I  do  ? " 
thought  I.  "I  cannot  bury  him  in  the  guano.  It  will 
be  impossible  to  carry  the  body  over  these  rocks."  Indeed, 
if  it  had  been  possible,  I  do  not  think  I  could  have  touched- 
it.  I  was  afraid  of  it.  At  last  I  determined  that  1  would 
cover  it  up  with  the  fragments  of  rocks  which  lay  about  in 
all  directions,  and  I  did  so.  This  occupied  me  about  two 
hours,  and  then,  carrying  the  bottles  with  me,  I  gladly 
hastened  away  from  the  spot,  with  a  resolution  never  to 
revisit  it.  I  felt  quite  a  relief  when  I  was  once  more  in 
the  cabin.  I  was  alone,  it  was  true,  but  I  was  no  longer 
in  contact  with  the  dead.  I  could  not  collect  my  thoughts 
or  analyse  my  feelings  during  the  remainder  of  the  day. 
I  sat  with  my  head  resting  on  my  hand,  in  the  attitude  of 
one  thinking  ;  but  at  the  same  time  my  mind  was  vacant. 
I  once  more  lay  down  to  sleep,  and  the  following  morning 
I  found  myself  invigorated,  and  capable  of  acting  as  well 
as  thinking.  I  had  a  weight  upon  my  spirits  which  I  could 
not  at  first  account  for ;  but  it  arose  from  the  feeling  that 
I  was  now  alone,  without  a  soul  to  speak  to  or  communi- 
cate with  •,  my  lips  must  now  be  closed  till  I  again  fell  in 
with  some  of  my  fellow-creatures— and  was  that  likely  ? 
We  had  seen  some  of  them  perish  not  far  from  us,  and 
that  was  all,  during  a  period  of  many  years. 


Chapter    XIV 

I  WAS  now,  by  Jackson's  account,  nearly  fourteen  years 
old.  During  fourteen  years  but  one  vessel  had  been  seen 
by  us.  It  might  be  fourteen  more,  or  double  that  time 
might  elapse,  before  I  should  again  fall  in  with  any  of  my 
fellow-creatures.  As  these  thoughts  saddened  me,  I  felt 
how  much  I  would  have  sacrificed  if  Jackson  had  remained 
alive,  were  it  only  for  his  company  ;  I  would  have  forgiven 
him  anything.  I  even  then  felt  as  if,  in  the  murderer  of 
my  father,  I  had  lost  a  friend. 

That  day  I  was  so  unsettled  I  could  not  do  anything  ;  I 


84  The  Little  Savage 

tried  to  read,  but  I  could  not;  I  tried  to  eat,  but  my 
appetite  was  gone.  I  sat  looking  at  the  ocean  as  it  rolled 
wave  after  wave,  sometimes  wondering  whether  it  would 
ever  bring  a  fellow-creature  to  join  me  ;  at  others  I  sat, 
and  for  hours,  in  perfect  vacuity  of  thought.  The  evening 
closed  in ;  it  was  dark,  and  I  still  remained  seated  where  I 
was.  At  last  I  returned  to  my  bed,  almost  broken- 
hearted ;  but  fortunately  I  was  soon  asleep,  and  my  sorrows 
were  forgotten. 

Another  morning  was  gladdened  with  a  brilliant  sun, 
the  dark  blue  ocean  was  scarcely  ruiHed  by  the  breeze  that 
swept  over  it,  and  I  felt  my  spirits  much  revived,  and  my 
appetite  returned.  After  taking  a  meal,  I  remembered 
what  Jackson  had  told  me  about  the  belt  with  the 
diamonds,  and  I  went  up  to  his  bed-place,  and  turning  out 
the  bird's  skins  and  feathers,  I  raked  up  the  gravel,  which 
was  not  more  than  two  inches  deep,  and  came  to  the  board. 
I  lifted  it  up,  and  found  underneath  a  hole,  about  a  foot 
deep,  full  of  various  articles.  There  were  the  watch  and 
sleeve  buttons  of  the  mate,  some  dollars  wrapped  in  old 
rags,  a  tobacco-box,  an  old  pipe,  a  brooch  with  hair  form- 
ing initials,  some  letters  which  were  signed  J.  Evelyn,  and 
which  I  perceived  were  from  my  grandfather,  and  probably 
taken  by  Jackson  after  my  mother's  death.  I  say  letters, 
because  they  were  such,  as  I  afterwards  found  out,  but  I 
had  not  then  ever  seen  a  letter,  and  my  first  attempt  to 
decipher  written  hand  was  useless,  although  I  did  manage 
to  make  out  the  signature.  There  was  in  the  tobacco-box 
a  plain  gold  wedding-ring,  probably  my  mother's ;  and 
there  was  also  a  lock  of  long  dark  hair,  which  I  presumed 
was  hers  also.  There  were  three  or  four  specimens  of 
what  I  afterwards  found  out  to  be  gold  and  silver  ores,  a 
silver  pencil-case,  and  a  pair  of  small  gold  ear-rings.  At 
the  bottom  of  the  hole  was  the  belt ;  it  was  of  soft  leather, 
and  I  could  feel  a  hard  substance  in  it  sewed  in  every 
square,  which  of  course  I  presumed  were  the  diamonds, 
but  I  did  not  cut  one  of  the  divisions  open  to  see  what  was 
in  them.     It  had  on  the  upper  part  of  it,  in  very  plain 


The  Little  Savage  85 

writing,  "  The  property  of  Mr  J.  Evelyn,  33,  Minories, 
London."  I  examined  all  these  articles  one  after  another, 
and  having  satisfied  my  curiosity,  I  replaced  them  in  the 
hole  for  a  future  survey.  I  covered  the  hole  with  the 
board,  and  put  back  the  gravel  and  the  feathers  into  the 
bed-place.  This  occupied  me  about  two  hours,  and  then 
I  again  took  my  former  position  on  the  rocks,  and  remained 
in  a  state  of  listless  inactivity  of  body  and  mind  the  re- 
mainder of  that  day. 

This  state  of  prostration  lasted  for  many  days — I  may 
say  for  weeks,  before  it  was  altogether  removed.  I  could 
find  no  pleasure  in  my  books,  which  were  taken  up,  and 
after  a  few  moments  laid  aside.  It  was  now  within  a 
month  of  the  time  that  the  birds  should  come  to  the 
island.  I  was  in  no  want  of  them  for  sustenance ;  there 
were  plenty  left,  but  I  almost  loathed  the  sight  of  food. 
The  reader  may  inquire  how  it  was  that  I  knew  the  exact 
time  of  the  arrival  of  the  birds  ?  I  reply  that  the  only 
reckoning  ever  kept  by  Jackson  and  me  was  the  arrival 
of  the  full  moons,  and  we  also  made  a  mark  on  the  rock 
every  time  that  the  moon  was  at  the  full.  Thirteen  moons 
were  the  quantity  which  we  reckoned  from  the  time  of 
the  birds  appearing  on  the  island  one  year,  until  their 
re-appearance  the  next ;  and  twelve  moons  had  now 
passed.  At  length,  tired  with  everything,  tired  of  myself, 
and  I  may  say,  almost  tired  of  life,  I  one  day  took  it  into 
my  head  that  I  would  take  some  provisions  with  me  and 
a  bottle  to  hold  water,  and  go  up  the  ravine,  and  cut 
firewood  which  should  last  me  a  long  while;  and  that 
I  would  remain  up  there  for  several  days,  for  I  hated  the 
sight  of  the  cabin  and  of  all  that  was  near  to  it.  The 
next  day  I  acted  upon  this  resolution,  and  slinging  my  dry 
provisions  on  my  shoulder,  I  set  off  for  the  ravine.  In  an 
hour  I  had  gained  it  ;  but  not  being  in  a  hurry  to  cut 
wood,  I  resolved  upon  climbing  higher  up,  to  see  if  I 
could  reach  the  opposite  side  of  the  island ;  that  is,  at 
least,  get  over  the  brow  of  the  hill,  to  have  a  good  view 
of  it.     I  continued  to  climb  until  I  had  gained  a  smooth 


86  The  Little  Savage 

grassy  spot,  which  was  clear  of  brushwood ;  and  as  I  sat 
down  to  rest  myself,  I  observed  some  blue  flowers  which 
I  had  never  seen  before,  indeed  I  did  not  know  that  there 
was  a  flower  on  the  island.  As  I  afterwards  discovered, 
they  were  one  of  the  varieties  of  Gentianellas.  I  looked 
at  them,  admired  them,  and  felt  quite  an  affection  for 
them ;  they  were  very  pretty,  and  they  were,  as  well  as 
myself,  alone.  Jackson,  when  I  was  pointing  out  the 
English  cottages  in  the  landscapes  of  **  Mavor's  Natural 
History,"  had  told  me  a  great  deal  about  gardening  in 
England,  and  how  wild  flowers  and  trees  were  trans- 
planted and  improved  by  culture;  how  roses  and  other 
plants  were  nailed  up  the  walls,  as  I  had  observed  in  the 
engravings,  and  how  they  were  watered  and  kept ;  and 
as  I  sat  down  looking  at  the  flower,  the  thought  occurred 
to  me.  Why  should  I  not  take  it  with  me,  and  keep  it  for 
myself?  I  can  water  it,  and  take  care  of  it.  I  resolved 
that  I  would  do  so,  for  I  already  looked  upon  the  plant 
as  a  treasure.  I  took  it  up  carefully  with  my  American 
knife,  leaving  sufficient  mould  about  the  roots,  and  then 
I  proceeded  to  ascend  the  hill ;  but  before  I  had  gone 
another  hundred  yards,  I  found  at  least  a  dozen  more 
of  these  plants  in  flower,  all  finer  than  the  one  I  had  dug 
up,  and  three  or  four  others  very  different  from  these, 
which  were  also  quite  new  to  me.  I  was  puzzled  what 
to  do  ;  I  put  down  the  plants  I  had  dug  up  and  continued 
my  ascent,  not  having  made  up  my  mind.  After  half-an- 
hour's  climbing,  I  gained  the  summit,  and  could  perceive 
the  ocean  on  the  other  side,  and  the  other  half  of  the  island 
lying  beneath  me.  It  was  very  grand  from  the  height 
I  stood  on,  but  I  observed  little  difference  between  one 
side  of  the  island  and  the  other ;  all  was  rugged  barren 
rock  as  on  my  side,  with  the  exception  of  the  portion  close 
to  me  ;  this  had  brushwood  in  the  ravine,  which  appeared 
to  be  a  sort  of  cleft  through  the  island.  All  was  silent 
and  solitary ;  not  a  bird  was  to  be  seen,  and  nothing  that 
had  life  could  I  discover.  I  was  about  to  return,  when 
I  thought  I  might  as  well  go  down  the  ravine  facing  me 


The  Little  Savage  87 

for  a  little  way,  and  see  what  there  was  in  it.  I  did  so, 
and  discovered  some  other  plants  that  I  had  not  seen  on 
my  side  of  the  island.  There  were  also  some  fern  trees, 
and  some  twining  plants  running  up  them,  and  I  thought 
to  myself,  Why,  these  plants  are  what  I  saw  in  the  picture 
of  the  English  cottages,  or  very  like  them.  I  wonder  if 
they  would  run  up  my  cabin  ?  and  then  all  at  once  the 
idea  came  to  me  that  I  would  plant  some  of  them  round 
the  cabin,  and  that  I  would  make  a  garden  of  flowers, 
and  have  plants  of  my  own.  The  reader  can  hardly 
imagine  the  pleasure  that  this  idea  gave  me ;  I  sat  down 
to  ruminate  upon  it,  and  felt  quite  happy  for  the  time. 
I  now  recollected,  however,  that  the  cabin  was  built  on 
the  rock,  and  that  plants  would  only  grow  in  the  earth. 
At  first  this  idea  chilled  me,  as  it  seemed  to  destroy  all 
my  schemes,  but  I  resolved  that  I  would  bring  some  earth 
to  the  rock,  and  make  my  garden  in  that  way.  I  at  first 
thought  of  the  guano,  but  Jackson  had  told  me  that  it 
was  only  used  in  small  proportions  to  enrich  the  soil,  and 
would  kill  plants  if  used  by  itself.  After  an  hour's  con- 
sideration, during  which  I  called  to  mind  all  that  Jackson 
had  told  me  on  the  subject,  I  made  up  my  mind  I  would 
return  to  the  cabin,  and  on  my  return  ascertain  how  low 
down  the  ravine  I  could  obtain  earth  for  my  garden ; 
I  would  then  carry  the  earth  to  the  cabin,  make  a  soil 
ready  for  the  plants  and  flowers,  and  then,  when  all  was 
ready,  I  would  go  up  the  ravine,  collect  what  I  could,  and 
make  my  garden.  I  did  so.  I  found  that  I  could  get 
soil  about  one-third  of  the  way  up  the  ravine,  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  below  where  the  brushwood  grew  ;  and  having 
ascertained  that,  I  returned  to  the  cabin,  threw  down  my 
provisions  which  were  to  have  lasted  me  a  week,  and  as 
it  was  late,  I  decided  that  I  would  not  commence  opera- 
tions until  the  following  day. 

I  took  out  of  the  chest  a  duck  frock,  and  tying  up  the 
sleeves  and  collar,  so  as  to  form  a  bag  of  the  body  of  the 
frock,  I  set  oiF  the  next  morning  to  begin  my  task.  That 
day  I  contrived  to  carry  to  the  cabin  ten  or  twelve  bags  of 


8S  The  Little  Savage 

mould,  which  I  put  round  it  in  a  border  about  four  feet 
wide,  and  about  a  foot  deep.  It  occupied  me  a  whole 
week  to  obtain  the  quantity  of  earth  necessary  to  make  the 
bed  on  each  side  of  the  cabin ;  it  was  hard  work,  but  it 
made  me  cheerful  and  happy  to  v/hat  I  had  been  before. 
I  found  that  the  best  cure  for  melancholy  and  solitude  was 
employment,  so  I  thus  obtained  valuable  knowledge  as 
well  as  the  making  of  my  garden.  When  I  had  finished 
carrying  the  mould,  I  started  off  for  the  ravine  with  two 
bags  to  hold  the  plants  which  I  might  collect,  and  after  a 
day's  toil,  I  returned  with  my  bags  full  of  small  shrubs, 
besides  a  bundle  of  creepers  to  plant  against  the  sides  of 
the  cabin.  The  following  day  was  occupied  in  planting 
everything  I  had  procured.  I  was  sorry  to  see  that  the 
leaves  and  flowers  hung  down,  but  I  watered  them  all 
before  I  went  to  bed.  The  next  morning  I  was  delighted 
to  perceive  that  they  had  all  recovered  and  were  looking 
quite  fresh.  But  my  garden  was  not  full  enough  to  please 
me,  and  I  once  more  went  up  the  ravine,  selecting  other 
plants  which  had  no  flowers  on  them,  and  one  or  two  other 
shrubs,  which  I  had  not  before  observed.  When  these 
were  planted  and  watered,  my  garden  looked  very  gay  and 
full  of  plants,  and  then  I  discovered  the  mould  came  down 
for  want  of  support  at  the  edges  ;  I  therefore  went  and 
picked  up  pieces  of  rock  of  sufficient  size  to  make  a  border 
and  hold  up  the  mould,  and  now  ail  was  complete,  and  I 
had  nothing  to  do  but  to  go  on  watering  them  daily.  This 
I  did,  and  recollecting  what  Jackson  had  said  about  the 
guano,  I  got  a  bag  of  it,  and  put  some  to  each  plant.  The 
good  effect  of  this  was  soon  observable,  and  before  the 
birds  came,  my  garden  was  in  a  very  flourishing  condition. 
I  cannot  express  to  the  reader  the  pleasure  I  derived 
from  this  little  garden.  I  knew  every  plant  and  every 
shrub,  and  talked  to  them  as  if  they  were  companions, 
while  I  watered  and  tended  them,  which  I  did  every  night 
and  morning,  and  their  rapid  growth  was  my  delight.  I 
no  longer  felt  my  solitude  so  irksome  as  I  had  done.  I 
had  something  to  look  after,  to  interest  me,  and  to  love ; 


The  Little  Savage  89 

they  were  alive  as  well  as  I  was  ;  they  grew,  and  threw 
out  leaves  and  flowers ;  they  were  grateful  for  the  care 
I  bestowed  upon  them,  and  became  my  companions  and 
friends. 

I  mentioned  before  that  during  the  latter  portion  of  the 
time  I  was  with  Jackson,  he  had  taught  me  to  sing  several 
songs.  Feeling  tired,  in  my  solitude,  of  not  hearing  the 
human  voice,  I  found  myself  at  first  humming  over,  and 
afterwards  singing  aloud,  the  various  airs  I  had  collected 
from  him.  This  afforded  me  much  pleasure,  and  I  used 
to  sing  half  the  day.  I  had  no  one  to  listen  to  me,  it  is 
true,  but  as  my  fondness  for  my  garden  increased,  I  used 
to  sit  down  and  sing  to  the  flowers  and  shrubs,  and  fancy 
that  they  listened  to  me.  But  my  stock  of  songs  was  not 
very  large,  and  at  last  I  had  repeated  them  so  often  that  I 
became  tired  of  the  words.  It  occurred  to  me  that  the 
Prayer-book  had  the  Psalms  of  David  at  the  end  of  it,  set 
to  music.  I  got  the  book,  and  as  far  as  the  airs  that  I 
knew  would  suit,  I  sang  them  all ;  never  were  Psalms, 
probably,  sung  to  such  tunes  before,  but  it  amused  me, 
and  there  was  no  want  of  variety  of  language. 

Every  three  or  four  days  I  would  go  up  the  ravine,  and 
search  carefully  for  any  new  flower  or  shrub  which  I  had 
not  yet  planted  in  my  garden,  and  when  I  found  one,  as  I 
often  did,  it  was  a  source  of  great  delight. 


Chapter  XV 

At  last  the  birds  came,  and  I  procured  some  of  their  eggs, 
which  were  a  very  agreeable  change,  after  living  so  long 
upon  dried  meat.  My  want  of  occupation  occasioned  me 
also  to  employ  some  of  my  time  in  fishing,  which  I  seldom 
had  done  while  Jackson  was  alive  j  and  this  created  a 
variety  in  my  food,  to  which,  for  a  long  while,  I  had  been 
a  stranger.  Jackson  did  not  care  for  fish,  as  to  cook  it  we 
were  obliged  to  go  up  the  ravine  for  wood,  and  he  did  not 


go  The  Little  Savage 

like  the  trouble.  When  the  birds  came,  I  had  recourse  to 
my  book  on  Natural  History,  to  read  over  again  the 
accounts  of  the  Man-of-War  birds,  Gannets,  and  other 
birds  mentioned  in  it ;  and  there  was  a  vignette  of  a  China- 
man with  tame  cormorants  on  a  pole,  and  in  the  letter-press 
an  account  of  how  they  were  trained  and  employed  to 
catch  fish  for  their  masters.  This  gave  me  the  idea  that 
I  would  have  some  birds  tame,  as  companions,  and,  if 
possible,  teach  them  to  catch  fish  for  me  ;  but  I  knew  that 
I  must  wait  till  the  young  birds  were  fit  to  be  taken  from 
the  nest. 

I  now  resolved  that  during  the  time  the  birds  were 
mating,  I  would  go  to  the  ravine  and  remain  there  several 
days,  to  collect  bundles  of  firewood.  The  firewood  was 
chiefly  cut  from  a  sort  of  low  bush,  like  the  sallow  or 
willow,  fit  for  making  baskets,  indeed  fit  for  anything 
better  than  firewood ;  however,  there  were  some  bushes 
which  were  of  a  harder  texture,  and  which  burnt  well. 
It  was  Jackson  who  told  me  that  the  former  were  called 
willow  and  used  for  making  baskets,  and  he  also  shewed 
me  how  to  tie  the  faggots  up  by  twisting  the  sallows 
together.  They  were  not,  however,  what  Jackson  said 
they  were — from  after  knowledge,  I  should  say  that  they 
were  a  species  of  Oleander  or  something  of  the  kind. 

Having  roasted  several  dozen  of  eggs  quite  hard,  by 
way  of  provision,  I  set  off  one  morning,  and  went  to  the 
ravine.  As  Jackson  had  said  before,  I  had  to  walk  under 
a  wall  of  rock  thirty  feet  high,  and  then  pass  through  a 
water-course  to  get  up  to  the  ravine,  which  increased  the 
distance  to  where  the  shrubs  grew,  at  least  half  a  mile. 
It  was  over  this  wall  that  the  captain  fell  and  was  killed, 
because  Jackson  would  not  assist  him.  I  gained  the  thicket 
where  the  bushes  grew,  and  for  three  days  I  worked  very 
hard,  and  had  cut  down  and  tied  about  fifty  large  faggots, 
when  I  thought  that  I  had  collected  enough  to  last  me  for 
a  long  while ;  but  I  had  still  to  carry  them  down,  and  this 
was  a  heavy  task,  as  I  could  not  carry  more  than  one  at  a 
time.     It  occurred  to  me  that  if  I  threw  my  faggots  over 


The  Little  Savage  91 

the  wall  opposite  to  where  they  had  been  cut  down,  I 
should  save  myself  nearly  a  mile  of  carriage,  as  otherwise 
I  had  to  walk  all  the  way  to  the  water-course  which  divided 
the  wall  of  rock,  and  then  walk  back  again.  Indeed,  where 
I  cut  down  the  wood  was  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  bathing-pool,  and  all  down  hill.  I  was 
delighted  at  this  idea,  which  I  wondered  had  never 
occurred  to  Jackson,  and  I  commenced  putting  it  into 
execution.  The  top  of  the  wall  of  rock  was  slippery  from 
the  constant  trickling  of  the  water  over  the  surface,  but 
this  was  only  in  some  places.  I  carried  my  faggots  down 
one  by  one,  and  threw  them  over,  being  careful  not  to 
lose  my  footing  in  so  doing.  I  had  carried  all  but  three 
or  four,  and  had  become  careless,  when,  on  heaving  one 
over,  my  heels  were  thrown  up,  and  before  I  could  recover 
myself  I  slid  down  the  remainder  of  the  ledge  and  was 
precipitated  down  below,  a  distance  of  more  than  thirty 
feet.  I  must  have  remained  there  many  hours  insensible, 
but  at  last  I  recovered  and  found  myself  lying  on  the 
faggots  which  I  had  thrown  down.  It  was  my  falling  on 
the  faggots,  instead  of  the  hard  rock,  which  had  saved  my 
life.  I  rose  as  soon  as  I  could  collect  my  scattered  senses. 
I  felt  very  sore  and  very  much  shaken,  and  the  blood  was 
running  out  of  my  mouth,  but  there  were  no  bones  broken. 
I  was,  however,  too  ill  to  attempt  anything  more  that  day. 
I  walked  home  at  a  very  slow  pace  and  went  to  bed.  A 
sound  sleep  restored  me,  and  in  a  day  or  two  I  was  quite 
recovered.  I  watered  my  plants,  which  I  found  drooping, 
as  if  they  had  grieved  at  my  being  so  long  away  from 
them,  and  then  I  returned  to  where  my  faggots  had  been 
left ;  and  to  lighten  my  labour  I  resolved  to  carry  them 
down  to  the  bathing-pool  and  stack  them  up  there  on  the 
rocks  near  to  it.  I  mention  this  for  reasons  that  the  reader 
will  comprehend  bye-and-bye.  This  occupied  me  two 
days,  for  I  was  not  inclined,  after  my  fall,  to  work  hard  ; 
and  very  glad  was  I  when  the  labour  was  over. 

The  young  birds  were  now  hatched,  but  I  had  to  wait 
four  or  five  weeks  before  they  were  fit  to  be  taken.     I 


92  The  Little  Savage 

began  again  to  find  solitude  tedious.  The  flowers  in  my 
garden  had  all  bloomed  and  withered,  and  there  was  not 
so  much  to  interest  me.  I  recommenced  reading  the  Bible, 
and  the  narratives  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  again 
afforded  me  pleasure.  I  hardly  need  say  to  the  reader  that 
I  read  the  Bible  as  I  would  have  read  any  other  book — 
for  amusement,  and  not  for  instruction,  I  had  learnt  little 
from  Jackson — indeed,  as  regards  the  true  nature  of  the 
Christian  religion,  I  may  say,  nothing  at  all.  I  do  not 
believe  that  he  knew  anything  about  it  himself.  It  is  true 
that  the  precepts  in  the  New  Testament  struck  me,  and 
that  I  was  more  interested  about  Our  Saviour  than  anybody 
else ;  but  I  could  not  comprehend  him,  or  his  mission.  In 
short,  I  read  in  darkness  ;  and  I  may  say  that  I  almost  knew 
the  Bible  by  heart  without  understanding  it. — How  could 
I.**  How  many  thousands  are  there  who  do  the  same, 
without  having  an  excuse  to  offer  for  their  blindness  ! 

At  last  the  time  for  taking  the  birds  arrived,  and  I  had 
then  sufficient  employment  to  keep  me  from  being 
melancholy.  I  collected  quite  as  many  as  we  had  done 
wheij  Jackson  and  I  had  to  be  provided  for ;  and  with  my 
new  knives  my  labour  was  comparatively  easy.  As  soon  as 
I  had  completed  my  provision,  I  went  back  to  take  the 
young  birds  which  already  I  had  selected  and  left  for  that 
purpose.  It  was  high  time,  for  I  found  that  when  I  went 
to  take  them  they  were  ready  to  fly.  However,  after  a 
good  battle  with  the  old  birds  (for  I  had  taken  six  young 
ones — two  from  each  nest,  which  arrayed  a  force  of  six 
old  ones  against  me,  who  fought  very  valiantly  in  defence 
of  their  offspring),  I  succeeded  in  carrying  them  off,  but 
followed  by  the  old  birds,  who  now  screamed  and  darted 
close  to  me  as  they  came  pursuing  me  to  the  cabin.  As 
soon  as  I  got  safe  back,  I  took  the  young  birds  into  the 
cabin,  tying  each  of  them  by  the  leg  with  a  piece  of 
fishing  line,  and  the  other  end  of  the  line  I  fastened  to 
some  pieces  of  rock  which  I  had  collected  ready  on  the 
platform  outside  of  the  cabin.  The  old  birds  continued  to 
persecute  me  till  it  was  dark,  and  then  they  went  away,  and 


The  Little  Savage  93 

I,  tired  with  my  day's  labour,  was  not  sorry  to  go  to 
sleep. 

When  I  woke  up  the  next  morning,  I  found  the  old 
birds  on  the  platform,  in  company  with  the  young  ones,  I 
presume  trying  to  persuade  them  to  fly  away  with  them ; 
but  the  lines  on  their  legs  prevented  that.  They  did  not 
leave  at  my  approach  for  some  little  while  ;  at  last  they 
all  took  wing,  and  went  off  to  sea ;  but  in  the  course  of  a 
few  minutes  they  returned  with  some  small  fish  in  their 
mouths,  with  which  they  fed  their  young  ones.  They 
continued  to  do  this  for  the  two  following  days,  when 
there  was  a  general  break  up,  announcing  the  departure  of 
the  main  body,  which,  after  much  soaring  and  wheeling  in 
the  air,  flew  off  in  a  northerly  direction.  The  six  parent 
birds,  who  were  with  their  young  ones  at  the  cabin, 
appeared  for  some  time  very  uneasy,  flying  round  and 
round  and  screaming  wildly  ;  at  last  they  soared  in  the  air 
with  loud  shrieks,  and  flew  away  after  the  main  body, 
which  was  still  in  sight — their  love  for  their  young  over- 
powered by  their  instinctive  habits.  I  was  not  sorry  when 
they  were  gone,  as  I  wanted  to  have  my  new  family  all  to 
myself.  I  went  down  to  the  rocks  and  caught  a  fish,  which 
was  large  enough  to  supply  them  for  three  or  four  days. 
I  fed  them  with  the  inside  of  the  fish,  and  they  ate  it  very 
heartily.  For  several  days  they  appeared  very  uneasy  ; 
but  gradually  they  settled,  and  not  only  appeared  to  know 
me,  but  to  welcome  my  coming,  which  was  to  me  a  source 
of  great  pleasure. 

I  now  neglected  my  flowers  for  the  birds,  which  were 
the  more  animated  of  the  two ;  and  I  sat  down  for  hours 
on  the  platform  with  my  six  companions,  who  I  must  own 
were  not  over-lively  and  intelligent,  but  they  were  alive, 
and  had  eyes.  They  seldom  roused  up,  unless  I  brought 
them  fish,  of  which  they  had  a  supply  four  times  a  day, 
and  then  they  would  stand  on  their  legs  and  open  their 
beaks  far  apart,  each  waiting  for  its  share.  They  were  a 
great  happiness  to  me,  and  I  watched  their  gradual  increase 
of  plumage  and  of  size,  which  was  very  rapid.     I  gave 


94  The  Little  Savage 

them  all  names  out  of  my  Natural  History  book.  One  was 
Lion,  then  Tiger,  Panther,  Bear,  Horse,  and  Jackass  (at 
the  time  that  I  named  them,  the  last  would  have  been  very 
appropriate  to  them  all) ;  and  as  I  always  called  them  by 
their  names  as  I  fed  them,  I  soon  found,  to  my  great  joy, 
that  they  knew  them  well  enough.  This  delighted  me.  I 
read  my  books  to  them  by  way  of  amusement ;  I  sang  my 
songs  to  them  ;  I  talked  to  them  ;  I  would  even  narrate 
the  various  histories  out  of  the  Bible  to  them,  such  as  that 
of  Joseph  and  his  brethren,  &c.  ;  and  the  stolid  air  with 
which  the  communications  were  received  made  me  almost 
imagine  they  were  listened  to. 

After  a  time,  I  took  the  line  off  the  legs  of  two  of  them, 
with  the  precaution  of  first  cutting  their  wings,  and  these 
two  became  much  more  lively,  following  me  into  the  cabin 
and  generally  staying  there  during  the  night.  As  I  found 
that  no  attempt  was  made  to  escape,  I  let  them  all  loose, 
after  having  cut  their  wings,  and  they  all  behaved  equally 
well  with  the  two  first  to  which  I  had  given  their  liberty. 

The  perfect  obedience  and  good  behaviour  of  my  new 
companions  again  gave  me  leisure  that  was  not  altogether 
desirable,  as  it  left  a  vacuum  to  fill  up.  But  I  returned  to 
my  garden.  I  could  do  no  more  at  present  but  water  my 
plants  and  look  at  the  increased  daily  growth  of  the 
climbers,  as  they  now  boldly  ascended  the  sides  of  the 
cabin  ;  but  I  thought  it  was  high  time  to  go  up  into  the 
ravine  and  about  the  island,  to  see  if  I  could  not  add  to  my 
collection. 

One  morning  I  set  off  up  the  ravine.  I  was  not  success- 
ful, so  I  contented  myself  with  carrying,  by  the  long  road, 
those  faggots  which  I  had  left  behind  me  on  the  day  when 
I  fell  over  the  precipice.  This  labour  I  finished,  and  then 
returned  to  the  cabin,  where  I  was  met  by  my  birds  with 
half-extended  wings  and  open  mouths,  as  if  they  were  very 
glad  to  see  me,  and  very  hungry  into  the  bargain.  I  ought 
to  observe  that  my  birds  appeared  now  to  separate  into 
pairs,  male  and  female,  as  their  difference  of  plumage 
denoted.     Lion  and  Horse  were  always  side  by  side,  as 


The  Little  Savage  95 

were  Jackass  and  Bear,  and  Tiger  and  Panther.  I  now- 
fed  them  one  by  one,  calling  them  by  name,  to  which  they 
immediately  responded,  and  if  anyone  came  who  was  not 
called,  it  was  switched  for  its  trouble. 

The  next  morning  I  set  off  on  another  voyage  of  dis- 
covery after  plants,  and  this  time  I  resolved  upon  trying 
what  I  could  find  among  the  crevices  of  the  rocks,  for  I 
had  seen  at  a  distance  what  appeared  to  me  to  be  a 
very  pretty  flower  on  the  ledge  of  one  of  the  clefts. 
I  did  not  go  up  the  ravine  this  time,  but  commenced 
climbing  the  rocks  behind  where  the  cabin  was  built. 
It  was  hard  work,  but  I  was  not  easily  discouraged,  and 
after  a  couple  of  hours  I  arrived  at  a  level  which  I  had 
in  view  when  I  commenced  my  labour,  and  here  I  was 
amply  rewarded,  for  I  found  several  plants  quite  new  to 
me,  and  a  variety  of  ferns,  which  I  thought  very  beautiful, 
although  they  had  no  flowers.  The  scene,  from  where 
I  stood,  was  awful  and  beautiful.  I  looked  down  upon 
the  rocks  below,  and  the  cabin,  which  appeared  very 
small,  and  I  thought  that  I  could  see  my  birds  like  dots 
upon  the  platform.  It  was  a  bright  day  and  smooth  water, 
I  could  clearly  distinguish  the  other  islands  in  the  distance, 
and  I  thought  that  I  saw  something  like  a  white  speck 
close  to  them — perhaps  it  was  a  vessel.  This  made  me 
melancholy,  and  I  could  not  help  asking  myself  whether 
I  was  to  remain  all  my  life  upon  the  island,  alone,  or  if 
there  were  any  chance  of  my  ever  being  taken  off*  it.  As 
I  looked  down  upon  the  cabin,  I  was  surprised  at  the 
steepness  of  the  rocks  which  I  had  climbed,  and  felt 
alarmed,  as  if  I  never  should  be  able  to  get  back  again. 
But  these  thoughts  were  soon  chased  away.  I  turned 
from  the  seaward,  and  looked  inland.  I  found  that  on  one 
side  of  me  there  was  a  chasm  between  the  rocks,  the 
bottom  of  which  was  so  far  down  that  I  could  not  see 
it ;  and  on  the  other  side  the  rock  rose  up  as  straight  as  a 
wall.  My  attention  was  soon  diverted  by  discovering 
another  plant,  and  I  now  commenced  my  task  of  digging 
them  all  up.    I  obtained,  with  the  ferns,  about  twenty  new 


g6  The  Little  Savage 

varieties,  which  I  made  up  in  a  bundle  ready  for  carrying 
down  slung  round  my  neck,  for  I  knew  that  I  should 
require  both  hands  to  descend  with.  Then  I  sat  down  to 
rest  myself  a  little  before  I  commenced  my  return,  and 
after  I  had  been  seated  a  few  minutes,  I  thought  I  would 
sing  a  song  by  way  of  amusement. 


Chapter   XVI 

I  HAVE  before  said  that,  tired  of  repeating  the  words  of 
the  songs  which  Jackson  had  taught  me,  I  had  taken  those 
of  Psalms  in  metre,  at  the  end  of  the  Prayer-book,  by  way 
of  variety ;  and,  as  far  as  metre  went,  they  answered  very 
well,  although  people  would  have  been  surprised  to  have 
heard  Psalms  sung  to  such  quick  and  varied  measure 
The  Psalm  I  chose  this  time  was  the  first — "  How  blest 
is  he  who  ne'er  consents  ;  "  and  I  began  accordingly ;  but 
when  I  came  to  the  end  of  the  line,  to  my  astonishment 
I  heard  a  plaintive  voice,  at  a  distance,  repeat  after  me 
**  con-sents."  I  looked  round.  I  thought  I  must  have 
been  deceived,  so  I  continued — **  By  ill  advice  to  walk." 
This  time  I  could  not  be  mistaken — **  to  walk  "  was  re- 
peated by  the  same  voice  as  plainly  as  possible.  I  stopped 
singing,  lost  in  wonder.  There  must  be  somebody  on  the 
island  as  well  as  myself,  thought  I ;  for  I  never  had  heard 
an  echo  before,  except  when  it  thundered,  and  such  echoes 
I  had  put  down  as  a  portion  of  the  thunder.  "  Who's 
there  ?  "  cried  I.  "  Who's  there  ?  "  replied  the  voice. 
"  It's  me  !  "  **  It's  me  !  "  was  the  answer.  I  did  not 
know  what  to  make  of  it.  I  cried  out  again  and  again, 
and  again  and  again  I  heard  what  I  said  repeated,  but  no 
answer  to  my  questions.  I  thought  I  was  insulted  by 
somebody,  and  yet,  when  I  listened,  the  voice  that  spoke 
came  from  the  face  of  the  rock  on  the  other  side  of 
the  chasm,  and  no  one  could  be  there  without  my  seeing 
them.     This  made  me  think  that  I  was  mistaken,  and  that 


The  Little  Savage  97 

there  could  not  be  anybody,  but  still  I  could  not  solve  the 
mystery.  At  last  I  became  frightened,  and  as  the  sun  was 
now  setting,  I  determined  to  get  back  to  the  cabin.  I  did 
so,  and  went  down  much  faster  than  I  had  gone  up,  for  as 
it  grew  dark  I  became  the  more  alarmed.  The  only  thing 
that  re-assured  me  was  the  softness  and  plaintiveness  of 
the  voice — not  like  Jackson's,  but  as  of  someone  who 
would  not  think  of  injuring  me. 

Although  I  was,  generally  speaking,  quiet  and  content 
with  my  isolated  position,  yet  it  was  only  when  I  was 
employed  or  amused  with  my  favourites.  At  times,  I 
could  not  find  anything  to  do,  and  was  overcome  by 
weariness.  I  would  then  throw  away  my  books,  and 
remain  for  hours  thinking  upon  the  probability  of  my  ever 
again  seeing  a  fellow  creature;  and  a  fit  of  melancholy 
would  come  over  me,  which  would  last  many  days.  I 
was  in  one  of  these  moods,  when  it  occurred  to  me,  that, 
although  I  had  seen  the  other  side  of  the  island  from  the 
summit,  I  had  not  gone  down  to  the  beach  to  explore  it ; 
and  I  resolved  that  I  would  do  so,  making  a  trip  of  three 
or  four  days.  When  my  knives  had  become  blunt, 
Jackson  had  told  me  how  to  sharpen  them,  by  rubbing 
the  blades  upon  a  hard  flat  piece  of  rock,  wetted  with 
water.  This  I  had  found  to  answer  very  well,  and  I  now 
determined  I  would  try  and  sharpen  one  of  the  old  axes 
in  the  same  way,  so  as  to  make  it  serviceable,  for  I  was 
very  much  afraid  of  breaking  my  knives  in  cutting  down 
the  brushwood,  and  I  knew  how  much  more  rapidly  it 
could  be  done  with  an  axe.  I  picked  out  a  large  stone, 
suitable  for  the  purpose,  and  with  a  kid  of  water  at  hand, 
I  set-to  to  sharpen  the  axe.  It  was  a  long  job,  but  in  a 
day  or  two  I  had  succeeded  admirably,  and  the  axe  was 
in  good  order.  I  then  thought  how  I  could  leave  my 
birds  for  so  many  days,  as  they  would  require  food.  At 
last,  I  considered  that  if  I  caught  two  large  fish  and  cut 
them  up,  they  would  be  sufficient  for  their  sustenance. 
I  did  so,  and  provided  with  a  packet  of  dried  birds  for 
food,  tied  up  in  a  duck  frock,  with  my  Natural  History 
L.s.  G 


98  The  Little  Savage 

book  for  amusement,  a  pannikin  to  get  water  in,  my  axe 
on  my  shoulder,  and  my  knives  by  my  side — I  first  kissed 
all  the  birds,  and  told  them  to  remain  quiet  and  good  till 
I  came  back — I  set  off  on  a  bright  clear  morning  on  my 
tour  of  examination. 

In  a  couple  of  hours  I  had  gained  the  summit  of  the 
island,  and  prepared  for  my  descent,  by  sitting  down  and 
eating  my  dinner.  I  observed  that,  as  before,  the  water 
on  the  other  side  of  the  island  was  quite  smooth,  com- 
pared to  what  it  was  on  the  side  where  I  resided.  It 
was,  in  fact,  from  the  prevailing  winds  during  the  year, 
the  lee  side  of  the  island.  Having  rested  myself  suffici- 
ently, I  commenced  my  descent,  which  I  accomplished  in 
little  less  time  than  it  took  me  to  ascend  from  the  other 
side.  As  I  neared  the  rocks  by  the  shore,  I  thought  I 
perceived  something  occasionally  moving  about  on  them. 
I  was  not  mistaken,  for  as  I  came  closer,  I  found  that 
there  were  several  large  animals  lying  on  the  rocks,  and 
occasionally  dropping  into  the  sea  close  to  them. 

The  sight  of  anything  living  was  to  me  of  great  interest. 
I  determined  to  get  nearer,  and  ascertain  what  animals 
they  were.  At  last,  by  creeping  along  from  rock  to  rock, 
I  arrived  to  within  forty  yards  of  them.  I  recollected 
some  animals  of  the  same  shape  in  my  book  of  Natural 
History,  which,  fortunately,  I  had  with  me  in  the  duck 
frock,  and  sitting  down  behind  the  rock,  I  pulled  it  out, 
and  turned  over  the  pages  until  I  came  to  a  print  which 
exactly  answered  to  their  appearance.  It  was  the  Seal. 
Having  satisfied  myself  on  that  point,  I  read  the  history 
of  the  animal,  and  found  that  it  was  easily  tamed,  and 
very  affectionate  when  taken  young,  and  also  might 
be  easily  killed  by  a  blow  on  the  nose.  These,  at  least, 
were  for  me  the  two  most  important  pieces  of  information. 
It  occurred  to  me  that  it  would  be  very  pleasant  to  have 
a  young  seal  for  a  playmate  (for  the  Gannets,  after  all, 
were  not  very  intelligent),  and  I  resolved  to  obtain  one 
if  I  could.  I  put  down  my  duck  frock  with  my  provisions 
behind   the   rock,    and    taking   my   axe   in   my   hand,    I 


J 


The  Little  Savage  99 

cautiously  advanced  to  where  the  animals  lay.  There 
were  about  twenty  of  them  all  together  on  one  rock,  but 
they  were  all  large,  and  seemed  to  be  about  five  or  six 
feet  long.  I  could  not  see  a  small  one  anywhere, 
so  I  walked  in  behind  the  rocks  farther  to  the  right, 
towards  another  rock,  where  I  saw  another  batch  of 
them  lying.  As  I  neared  them,  I  saw  by  herself  a  seal 
with  a  young  one  by  her  side,  not  more  than  two  feet 
long.  This  was  what  I  wanted.  They  lay  at  some 
distance  from  the  water,  upon  a  low  rock.  I  watched 
them  for  some  time,  and  was  much  amused  at  the  prattling 
which  passed  between  the  old  and  the  young  one.  I 
thought  that  to  obtain  the  young  one,  I  must  of  course 
kill  the  old  one,  for  I  perceived  that  it  had  large  teeth. 
I  considered  it  advisable  to  get  between  them  and  the 
water,  that  they  might  not  escape  me,  and  I  contrived  so 
to  do  before  I  made  my  appearance.  As  soon  as  the  old 
one  perceived  me  running  to  them,  it  gave  a  shrill  cry, 
and  then  floundered  towards  the  water ;  as  we  came  close 
together,  it  showed  its  teeth,  and  rose  upon  its  flappers 
to  defend  itself  and  its  young  one,  which  kept  close  to 
its  side ;  but  a  blow  on  its  nose  with  the  axe  rendered  it 
motionless,  and  apparently  dead.  Delighted  with  my 
success,  I  seized  hold  of  the  young  one  and  took  it  in 
my  arms,  and  was  carrying  it  away,  when  I  found  myself 
confronted  with  the  male  seal,  which,  alarmed  by  the  cry 
of  the  female,  had  come  to  her  assistance.  It  was  much 
larger  than  the  female,  with  more  shaggy  hair  about  the 
neck  and  shoulders,  and  apparently  very  fierce.  I  could 
not  pass  it,  as  it  was  in  shore  of  me,  and  I  had  just  time 
to  drop  the  young  seal,  and  leap  behind  a  rock  on  one 
side,  with  my  axe  all  ready.  The  animal  reared  itself  on 
the  rock  to  pass  over  to  me,  when  I  saluted  it  with  a  blow 
on  the  head,  which  staggered  it.  I  had  lost  my  presence 
of  mind  by  the  creature  coming  upon  me  so  unexpectedly, 
and  my  blow  was  not  well  aimed,  but  before  it  could 
recover  the  first  blow,  another  on  its  nose  tumbled  it 
over,  to  all  appearance  lifeless.     I  then  hastened  to  gain 


loo  The  Little  Savage 

the  other  side  of  the  rock,  where  I  had  left  the  young 
seal,  and  found  that  it  had  crept  to  its  mother's  body,  and 
Vv^as  fondling  it.  I  took  it  in  my  arms,  and  retreated  to 
where  I  had  left  my  duck  frock,  and  throwing  everything 
else  out,  I  put  the  animal  in,  and  tied  up  the  end,  so  that  it 
could  not  escape.  I  then  sat  down  to  recover  myself  from  the 
excitement  occasioned  by  this  first  engagement  I  had  ever 
been  in,  quite  delighted  with  my  newly-acquired  treasure. 
I  then  thought  what  I  should  do.  It  was  now  within 
an  hour  of  dark,  and  was  too  late  to  return  to  the  other 
side  of  the  island,  or  I  would  have  done  so,  as  I  was 
anxious  to  get  my  seal  home.  At  last  I  decided  that  I 
would  go  farther  from  the  beach,  and  take  up  my  quarters 
for  the  night.  I  collected  my  provision,  and  with  my  seal 
under  my  arm,  I  walked  away  about  one  hundred  yards 
from  the  water's  edge,  and  took  up  a  position  under  a 
large  rock  ;  here  I  ate  my  supper,  and  then  untied  the  line 
which  closed  up  the  frock,  and  had  a  parting  look  at  my 
little  friend  before  I  went  to  sleep.  He  had  struggled  a 
good  deal  at  first,  but  was  now  quiet,  although  he  occa- 
sionally made  attempts  to  bite  me.  I  coaxed  him  and 
fondled  him  a  good  deal,  and  then  put  him  into  his  bag 
again,  and  made  him  secure,  which  appeared  to  annoy  him 
very  much,  as  he  was  not  half  as  quiet  in  a  bag  as  he  was 
when  I  held  him  in  my  lap.  I  then  took  my  book  to  read 
over  again  the  history  of  the  seal,  and  I  found  that  their 
skins  were  valuable,  and  also  that  they  gave  a  great  deal 
of  oil,  but  I  had  no  use  for  oil,  though  I  thought  that  their 
skins  might  be  very  comfortable  in  my  bed-place.  I  shut 
my  book  and  lay  down  to  sleep,  but  I  could  not  obtain  any 
till  near  daylight,  I  had  been  so  excited,  and  was  so  anxious 
about  my  treasure.  The  sun  shining  in  my  eyes  woke  me 
up ;  I  found  my  seal  was  lying  very  quiet  -,  I  touched  him 
to  see  that  he  was  not  dead,  and  the  cry  that  he  gave 
assured  me  to  the  contrary.  I  then  walked  back  to  where 
I  had  left  the  bodies  of  the  parents.  I  found  on  examina- 
tion that  they  were  both  dead,  and  also  that  their  furs 
were  very  beautiful,  and  I  resolved  that  I  would  have  their 


The  Little  Savage  loi 

skins.  But  here  was  a  difficulty.  If  I  took  off  the  skins, 
I  could  not  carry  them  with  me,  and  I  was  anxious  to  get 
the  young  one  home,  lest  it  should  die  of  hunger,  so  I 
decided  that  I  would  first  take  home  the  young  one,  give  it 
food  and  v/arm  it,  and  then  return  and  skin  the  old  ones. 

I  therefore  made  my  breakfast,  and  leaving  the  remainder 
of  my  provision  in  a  cleft  in  the  rock,  that  I  might  not 
have  the  trouble  of  bringing  it  again,  I  set  off  on  my 
return,  and  used  such  diligence  that  I  was  back  at  the 
cabin  by  noon.  I  found  my  birds  all  well,  and  apparently 
quite  satisfied  with  the  provision  that  I  had  left  them,  for 
they  were  most  of  them  asleep,  and  those  that  were  awake 
did  not  notice  my  arrival. 

"  Ah,"  thought  I,  "  you  only  like  me  for  what  I  give 
you ;  next  time  I  go  away  I  will  leave  you  hungry,  and 
then  when  you  see  me  come  back,  you  will  all  flutter  your 
wings  with  gladness." 

I  was  puzzled  where  to  put  my  seal  so  as  to  keep  him 
safe  :  at  last  I  decided  upon  opening  the  seaman's  chest 
and  putting  him  in  that.  I  did  so,  and  gave  him  a  piece  of 
fish  which  the  birds  had  not  eaten.  The  little  creature 
devoured  it  eagerly,  and  I  took  my  lines  and  went  down 
to  catch  some  fish  for  a  further  supply.  In  half  an  hour 
I  returned  with  two  large  fish,  and  I  then  took  the  seal 
out  of  the  chest  and  fed  him  again.  He  ate  very  heartily  ; 
and  I  was  glad  to  perceive  that  he  appeared  much  tamer 
already.  I  threw  some  of  the  insides  of  the  fish  to  the 
birds,  who  were  now  become  of  very  inferior  interest  to 
me.  Having  fed  my  animals,  I  then  thought  of  myself, 
and,  as  I  took  my  meal,  I  arranged  that  the  next  morning 
I  would  go  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  island,  skin  the 
two  seals,  and  spread  out  the  skins  on  the  rocks  to  dry, 
and  would  leave  them  there  till  I  had  a  better  opportunity 
of  bringing  them  to  the  cabin ;  at  present  I  could  not  be 
away  from  my  new  acquaintance,  which  I  wished  to  make 
tame  and  fond  of  me.  Having  fed  him  again  in  the 
morning,  I  put  down  the  lid  of  the  chest,  and  then  started 
for  the  lee  side  of  the  island. 


'/ 


102  The  Little  Savage 


Chapter  XVII 

I  ARRIVED  early,  skinned  both  the  seals,  and  dragged  the 
skins  up  from  the  water-side,  though  with  difficulty, 
especially  that  of  the  large  one,  to  the  rock  where  I  had 
taken  up  my  quarters  the  night  before.  Here  I  spread 
them  out  to  dry,  putting  large  pieces  of  rock  upon  the 
edges,  that  they  might  not  be  blown  away.  It  was  nearly 
dusk  when  I  had  finished,  but  I  set  off,  and  an  hour  after 
dark  arrived  at  the  cabin  ;  for  now  that  I  knew  my  way 
so  well,  I  got  over  the  ground  twice  as  fast  as  I  did 
before.  I  crawled  into  my  bed-place  in  the  dark,  and 
slept  soundly  after  my  fatigue.  I  awoke  the  next  morning 
with  the  plaintive  cry  of  my  seal  in  the  chest,  and  I 
hastened  to  get  some  fish  to  feed  him  with.  I  took  him 
out  and  fed  him  ;  and  was  astonished  how  tame  the  little 
animal  had  become  already.  He  remained  very  quietly 
with  me  after  he  had  been  fed,  nestling  close  to  my  side, 
as  if  I  had  been  his  mother,  and  even  making  a  half 
attempt  to  follow  me  when  I  left  him. 

My  birds  appeared  very  dull  and  stupid,  and  I  observed 
also  that  they  were  very  dirty,  and  always  rushed  to  the 
kid  when  it  was  full  of  water,  trying  to  get  into  it.  This 
made  me  think  that  they  required  bathing  in  salt  water, 
and  I  took  one  down  to  the  bathing-pool,  with  a  long 
line  to  its  leg,  and  put  it  in.  The  manner  in  which  the 
poor  creature  floundered,  and  dipped  and  washed  itself, 
for  several  minutes,  proved  my  supposition  correct ;  so, 
after  allowing  it  half  an  hour  for  its  recreation,  I  took  it 
back,  and  went  down  with  the  others  until  they  had  all 
indulged  in  the  luxury  of  a  bath  ;  and  from  that  time,  as 
I  took  them  down  almost  every  day,  it  was  astonishing 
how  much  brighter  and  sleeker  their  plumage  became. 

I  remained  a  week  in  the  cabin,  taming  my  seal,  which 
now  was  quite  fond  of  me ;  and  one  night,  as  I  was  going 
to  bed,  he  crawled  into  my  bed-place,  and  from  that  time 


The  Little  Savage  103 

he  was  my  bed-fellow.  At  the  end  of  a  week  I  went 
over  to  the  other  side  of  the  island,  and  contrived  to 
carry  up  the  two  skins  to  the  summit.  It  was  a  hard 
day's  work.  The  day  afterwards  I  conveyed  them  to  the 
cabin,  and,  as  they  were  quite  dry,  I  put  them  into  my 
bed-place  to  lie  down  upon,  as  I  did  not  like  the  smell  of 
the  birds'  feathers,  although  I  had  so  long  been  accus- 
tomed to  them. 

And  now,  what  with  my  seal,  my  birds,  and  my  garden, 
and  the  occupation  they  gave  me,  the  time  passed  quickly 
away,  until,  by  my  reckoning,  it  was  nearly  the  period  for 
the  birds  to  come  again.  I  observed,  as  the  time  drew 
near,  that  my  birds  were  uneasy.  They  had  paired,  as  I 
mentioned  before,  and  when  their  plumage  was  complete, 
it  was  evident  that  they  had  paired  male  and  female,  as  I 
had  supposed.  They  had  not  been  tethered  for  a  long 
while,  and  appeared  to  me  now  very  much  inclined  to  fly, 
especially  the  male  birds.  At  first  I  thought  that  I  would 
cut  all  their  wings,  as  I  was  fearful  that  they  would  join 
the  other  birds  on  their  arrival,  but  observing  that  they 
were  so  fond  of  their  mates,  I  resolved  to  cut  the  wing  of 
the  females  only,  as  I  did  not  think  that  the  male  birds 
would  leave  them.  I  did  so,  and  took  my  chance  ;  for 
since  I  had  the  seal  for  a  companion,  I  did  not  care  so 
much  for  the  birds  as  before.  At  last  the  birds  came, 
and  took  possession  of  the  guano-ground  as  usual,  and  I 
went  for  fresh  eggs  5  at  the  same  time  I  found  that  my 
females  were  scratching,  as  if  they  would  make  their 
nests,  and  a  few  days  afterwards  they  began  to  lay.  I 
then  thought  that  as  soon  as  they  had  young  ones  they 
would  wish  to  go  away,  so  I  took  the  eggs  that  were 
laid,  to  prevent  them,  but  I  found  that  as  fast  as  I  took 
away  the  eggs  they  laid  more,  and  this  they  did  for  nearly 
two  months,  supplying  me  with  fresh  eggs  long  after  the 
wild  birds  had  hatched,  and  left  the  island.  The  male 
birds,  at  the  time  that  the  females  first  laid  their  eggs, 
tried  their  wings  in  short  flights  in  circles,  and  then  flew 
away  out  to  sea.     I  thought  that  they  were  gone,  but  I 


104  The  Little  Savage 

was  deceived,  for  they  returned  in  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  each  with  a  fish  in  its  beak,  which  they  laid  down 
before  their  mates.  I  was  much  pleased  at  this,  and  I 
resolved  that  in  future  they  should  supply  their  own  food, 
which  they  did ;  and  not  their  own  food  only,  but  enough 
for  the  seal  and  me  also  when  the  weather  was  fine,  but 
when  it  was  rough,  they  could  not  obtain  any,  and  then  I 
was  obliged  to  feed  them.  The  way  I  obtained  from 
them  the  extra  supply  of  fish  was,  that  when  they  first 
went  out,  I  seized,  on  their  return,  the  fish  which  they 
brought,  and  as  often  as  I  did  this  they  would  go  for 
more,  until  the  females  were  fed. 

But  I  had  one  difficulty  to  contend  with,  which  was, 
that  at  the  time  the  birds  could  not  obtain  fish,  which  was 
when  the  weather  was  rough,  I  could  not  either,  as  they 
would  not  take  the  bait.  After  some  cogitation,  I  decided 
that  I  would  divide  a  portion  of  the  bathing-pool  farthest 
from  the  shore,  by  a  wall  of  loose  rock  which  the  water 
could  flow  through,  but  which  the  fish  could  not  get  out 
of,  and  that  I  would  catch  fish  in  the  fine  weather  to  feed 
the  seal  and  the  birds  when  the  weather  was  rough  and 
bad.  As  soon  as  I  had  finished  curing  my  stock  of  pro- 
visions and  got  it  safely  housed  in  the  cabin,  I  set  to  work 
to  make  this  wall,  which  did  not  take  me  a  very  long  while, 
as  the  water  was  not  more  than  two  feet  deep,  and  the 
pool  about  ten  yards  across.  As  soon  as  it  was  finished,  I 
went  out  every  day,  when  it  was  fine,  and  caught  as  many 
fish  as  I  thought  I  might  require,  and  put  them  into  this 
portion  of  the  bathing-pool.  I  found  the  plan  answer  well, 
as  the  fish  lived,  but  I  had  great  difficulty  in  getting  them 
out  when  I  wanted  them,  for  they  would  not  take  the 
bait. 

As  my  birds  were  no  longer  a  trouble  to  me,  but  rather, 
on  the  contrary,  a  profit,  I  devoted  my  whole  time  to  my 
seal.  I  required  a  name  for  him,  and  reading  in  the  book 
of  Natural  History  that  a  certain  lion  was  called  Nero,  I 
thought  it  a  very  good  name  for  a  seal,  and  bestowed  it 
on  him  accordingly,  although  what  Nero  meant  I  had  no 


The  Little  Savage  105 

idea  of.  The  animal  was  now  so  tame  that  he  would  cry 
if  ever  I  left  him,  and  would  follow  me  as  far  as  he  could 
down  the  rocks;  but  there  was  one  part  of  the  path 
leading  to  the  bathing-pool  which  was  too  difficult  for 
him,  and  there  he  would  remain  crying  till  I  came  back. 
I  had  more  than  once  taken  him  down  to  the  bathing-pool 
to  wash  him,  and  he  was  much  pleased  when  I  did.  I 
now  resolved  that  I  would  clear  the  path  of  the  rocks, 
that  he  might  be  able  to  follow  me  down  the  whole  way, 
for  he  had  grown  so  much  that  I  found  him  too  heavy  to 
carry.  It  occupied  me  a  week  before  I  could  roll  away 
and  remove  the  smaller  rocks,  and  knock  off  others  with 
the  axe,  but  I  finished  it  at  last,  and  was  pleased  to  find 
that  the  animal  followed  me  right  down  and  plunged  into 
the  water.  He  had  not  been  down  since  I  had  made  the 
wall  of  rock  to  keep  the  fish  in,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  in, 
he  dived  and  came  out  with  one  of  the  fish,  which  he 
brought  to  land.  "  So  now,"  thought  I,  "  I  shall  know 
how  to  get  the  fish  when  I  want  them — I  shall  bring  you 
down,  Nero."  I  may  as  well  here  observe  that  Nero  very 
soon  obeyed  orders  as  faithfully  as  a  dog.  I  had  a  little 
switch,  and  when  he  did  wrong,  I  would  give  him  a  slight 
tap  on  the  nose.  He  would  shake  his  head,  show  his 
teeth,  and  growl,  and  then  come  fondly  to  me.  As  he 
used  to  follow  me  every  day  down  to  the  pool,  I  had  to 
break  him  ofF  going  after  the  fish  when  I  did  not  want 
them  taken,  and  this  I  accomplished.  No  one  who  had 
not  witnessed  it,  could  imagine  the  affection  and  docility 
of  this  animal,  and  the  love  I  had  for  him.  He  was  my 
companion  and  playmate  during  the  day,  and  my  bed- 
fellow at  night.     We  were  inseparable. 

It  was  at  the  latter  portion  of  the  second  year  of  my 
solitude  that  a  circumstance  occurred,  that  I  must  now 
relate.  Nero  had  gone  down  to  the  pool  with  me,  and  I 
was  standing  fishing  off  the  rocks,  when  he  came  out  of 
the  pool  and  plunged  into  the  sea,  playing  all  sorts  of 
gambols,  and  whistling  with  delight.  I  did  not  think 
anything  about  it.     He  plunged  and  disappeared  for  a  few 


io6  The  Little  Savage 

minutes,  and  then  would  come  up  again  close  to  where  my 
line  was,  but  he  disturbed  the  fish  and  I  could  not  catch 
any.  To  drive  him  farther  off,  I  pelted  him  with  pieces 
of  rock,  one  of  which  hit  him  very  hard,  and  he  dived 
down.  After  a  time  I  pulled  up  my  line,  and  whistling  to 
him  to  return,  although  I  did  not  see  him,  I  went  away  to 
the  cabin,  fully  expecting  that  he  v/ould  soon  follow  me, 
for  now  he  could  walk  (after  his  fashion)  from  the  cabin 
to  the  pool  as  he  pleased.  This  was  early  in  the  morning, 
and  I  busied  myself  with  my  garden,  which  was  now  in 
great  luxuriance,  for  I  had  dressed  it  with  guano;  but 
observing  about  noon  that  he  had  not  returned,  I  became 
uneasy,  and  went  down  to  the  pool  to  look  for  him.  He 
was  not  there,  and  I  looked  on  the  sea,  but  could  not 
perceive  him  anywhere.  I  called  and  whistled,  but  it  was 
of  no  use,  and  I  grew  very  much  alarmed  at  the  idea  that 
my  treasure  had  deserted  me.  "  It  could  not  be  because 
I  threw  the  pieces  of  rock  at  him,"  thought  I ;  "he  would 
not  leave  me  for  that."  I  remained  for  two  or  three  hours, 
watching  for  him,  but  it  was  all  in  vain ;  there  was  no 
seal — no  Nero, — my  heart  sank  at  the  idea  of  the  animal 
having  deserted  me,  and  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  as  far 
as  I  can  recollect,  I  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears.  For  the 
first  time  in  my  life,  I  may  say,  I  felt  truly  miserable — my 
whole  heart  and  affections  were  set  upon  this  animal,  the 
companion  and  friend  of  my  solitude,  and  I  felt  as  if  exist- 
ence were  a  burden  without  him.  After  a  while,  I  retraced 
my  steps  to  the  cabin,  but  I  was  miserable,  more  so  than  I 
can  express.  I  could  not  rest  quiet.  Two  hours  before 
sunset,  I  went  down  again  to  the  rocks,  and  called  till  I 
was  hoarse.  It  was  all  in  vain ;  night  closed  in,  and  again 
I  returned  to  the  cabin,  and  threw  myself  down  in  my 
bed-place  in  utter  despair. 

"  I  thought  he  loved  me,"  said  I  to  myself,  **  loved  me 
as  I  loved  him  ;  I  would  not  have  left  him  in  that  way." 
And  my  tears  burst  out  anew  at  the  idea  that  I  never 
should  see  my  poor  Nero  again. 

The  reader  may  think  that  my  grief  was  inordinate  and 


The  Little  Savage  107 

unwarrantable,  but  let  him  put  himself  in  my  position — a 
lad  of  sixteen,  alone  on  a  desolate  island,  with  only  one 
companion — true,  he  was  an  animal,  and  could  not  speak, 
but  he  was  affectionate ;  he  replied  to  all  my  caresses  ;  he 
was  my  only  companion  and  friend,  the  only  object  that  I 
loved  or  cared  about.  He  was  intelligent,  and  I  thought 
loved  me  as  much  as  I  loved  him,  and  now  he  had  deserted 
me,  and  I  had  nothing  else  that  I  cared  about  or  that  cared 
for  me.  My  tears  flowed  for  more  than  an  hour,  till  at 
last  I  was  wearied  and  fell  asleep. 


Chapter   XVIII 

It  was  early  in  the  morning,  and  yet  dark,  when  I  felt 
something  touch  me.  I  started  up — a  low  cry  of  pleasure 
told  me  at  once  that  it  was  Nero,  who  was  by  my  side. 
Yes,  it  was  Nero,  who  had  come  back,  having  climbed  up 
again  the  steep  path  to  the  cabin,  to  return  to  his  master. 
Need  I  say  that  I  was  overjoyed,  that  I  hugged  him  as  if 
he  had  been  a  human  being,  that  I  wept  over  him,  and  that 
in  a  few  minutes  afterwards  we  were  asleep  together  in 
the  same  bed-place.  Such  was  the  fact,  and  never  was 
there  in  my  after  life,  so  great  a  transition  from  grief  to 
joy. 

"  Oh  !  now,  if  you  had  left  me," — said  I  to  him,  the 
next  morning,  when  I  got  up  j  "  you  naughty  seal,  to 
frighten  me  and  make  me  so  unhappy  as  you  did ! "  Nero 
appeared  quite  as  happy  as  I  was  at  our  reunion,  and  was 
more  affectionate  than  ever. 

I  must  now  pass  over  many  months  in  very  few  words, 
just  stating  to  the  reader  what  my  position  was  at  the  end 
of  three  years,  during  which  I  was  alone  upon  the  island. 
I  had  now  arrived  at  the  age  of  near  seventeen,  and  was 
tall  and  strong  for  my  years.  I  had  left  off  wearing  my 
dress  of  the  skins  of  birds,  having  substituted  one  of  the 


io8  The  Little  Savage 

seaman's  shirts,  which  I  had  found  in  the  chest.  This, 
however,  was  the  whole  of  my  costume,  and  although,  had 
it  been  longer  it  would  have  been  more  correct,  still,  as  I 
had  no  other  companion  but  Nero,  it  was  not  necessary  to 
be  so  very  particular,  as  if  I  had  been  in  society.  During 
these  three  years,  I  think  I  had  read  the  Bible  and  Prayer- 
book,  and  my  Natural  History  book,  at  least  five  or  six 
times  quite  through,  and  possessing  a  retentive  memory, 
could  almost  repeat  them  by  heart ;  but  still  I  read  the 
Bible  as  a  sealed  book,  for  I  did  not  understand  it,  having 
had  no  one  to  instruct  me,  nor  any  grace  bestowed  upon 
me.     I  read  for  amusement,  and  nothing  more. 

My  garden  was  now  in  a  most  flourishing  condition, 
the  climbing  plants  had  overrun  the  cabin,  so  as  to  com- 
pletely cover  the  whole  of  the  roof  and  every  portion  of  it, 
and  they  hung  in  festoons  on  each  side  of  the  door-way. 
Many  of  the  plants  which  I  had  taken  up  small,  when  I 
moved  them,  had  proved  to  be  trees,  and  were  now  waving 
to  the  breeze,  high  above  the  cabin  roof;  and  everything 
that  I  had  planted,  from  continual  watering  and  guano,  had 
grown  most  luxuriantly.  In  fact,  my  cabin  was  so  covered 
and  sheltered,  that  its  original  form  had  totally  disappeared, 
it  now  looked  like  an  arbour  in  a  clump  of  trees,  and  from 
the  rocks  by  the  bathing-pool  it  had  a  very  picturesque 
appearance. 

I  had,  of  course,  several  times  gone  up  the  ravine,  and 
now  that  my  axe  had  become  useful,  I  had  gradually 
accumulated  a  large  stock  of  wood  down  by  the  bathing- 
pool,  more  than  I  could  use  for  a  long  while,  as  I  seldom 
lighted  a  fire,  but  the  cutting  it  was  employment,  and 
employment  was  to  me  a  great  source  of  happiness.  I 
had  been  several  times  to  the  other  side  of  the  island, 
and  had  had  more  encounters  with  the  seals,  of  which  I 
killed  many,  for  I  found  their  skins  very  comfortable  and 
useful  in  the  cabin.  I  had  collected  about  three  dozen 
of  the  finest  skins,  which  were  more  than  I  required,  but 
I  had  taken  them  for  the  same  reason  that  I  had  collected 
the   firewood,  for   the  sake  of  employment,  and   in  this 


The  Little  Savage  109 

instance,  I  may  add,  for  the  sake  of  the  excitement  which 
the  combats  with  the  seals  afforded  me. 

I  have  not  narrated  any  of  these  conflicts,  as  I  thought 
that  they  might  weary  the  reader,  I  must,  however,  state 
what  occurred  on  one  occasion,  as  although  ludicrous,  it 
nearly  cost  me  my  life.  I  had  attacked  a  large  male  seal, 
with  a  splendid  fur,  for  I  always  looked  out  for  the  best 
skinned  animals.  He  was  lying  on  a  rock  close  to  the 
water,  and  I  had  gone  into  the  water  to  cut  him  off  and 
prevent  his  escape  by  plunging  in,  as  he  would  otherwise 
have  done ;  but  as  I  aimed  the  usual  blow  at  his  nose, 
my  foot  slipped  on  the  wet  rock,  and  I  missed  the  animal, 
and  at  the  same  time  fell  down  on  the  rock  with  the  axe 
in  my  hand.  The  animal,  which  was  a  male  of  the  largest 
size,  seized  hold  of  my  shirt  (which  I  then  wore)  with 
his  teeth,  and,  plunging  with  me  into  the  sea,  dived  down 
into  the  deep  water.  It  was  fortunate  that  he  had  seized 
my  shirt  instead  of  my  body,  and  also  that  I  could  swim 
well.  He  carried  me  along  with  him — the  shirt,  for  a 
few  seconds,  drawn  over  my  head,  when,  disembarrassing 
myself  of  the  garment,  by  slipping  my  head  and  arms  out, 
I  left  it  in  his  possession,  and  regained  the  surface  of  the 
water,  almost  suffocated.  It  was  fortunate  that  I  did 
not  wear  sleeve-buttons  ;  had  I  had  them,  I  could  not 
have  disengaged  myself,  and  must  have  perished.  I 
climbed  the  rock  again,  and  turning  round,  I  perceived 
the  seal  on  the  surface,  shaking  the  shirt  in  great  wrath. 
This  was  a  sad  discomfiture,  as  I  lost  not  only  my  shirt 
but  my  axe,  which  I  dropped  when  I  was  dragged  into 
the  water ;  nothing  was  saved  except  my  knife,  which 
I  carried  by  a  lanyard  round  my  neck.  Why  I  mention 
this  circumstance  particularly,  is,  that  having  felt  great 
inconvenience  for  want  of  sleeve-buttons  to  hold  the 
wristbands  of  my  shirt  together,  I  had  thought  of  making 
use  of  those  of  the  mate,  which  the  reader  may  recollect 
had  been  given  with  his  watch  into  Jackson's  care,  to 
take  home  to  his  wife  ;  but  on  second  consideration  I 
thought  it  very  possible  I  might  lose  them,  and  decided 


no  The  Little  Savage 

that  the  property  was  in  trust,  and  that  I  had  no  right 
to  risk  it.  This  correct  feeling  on  my  part,  therefore, 
was  probably  the  saving  of  my  life. 

I  have  only  now  to  mention  my  birds,  and  of  them  I 
can  merely  say  that  they  went  on  as  before ;  they  bathed 
constantly,  at  the  right  season  they  laid  eggs,  the  male 
birds  caught  fish  and  brought  them  to  the  cabin,  and 
they  were  just  as  stupid  and  uninteresting  as  they  were 
at  first ;  however,  they  never  left  me,  nor  indeed  shewed 
any  intention  to  leave  me,  after  the  first  season  of  the 
birds  returning  to  the  island.  They  were  useful  but  not 
very  ornamental,  and  not  at  all  interesting  to  one  who 
had  such  an  intelligent  companion  as  Nero. 

Having  now  brought  up  my  history,  in  a  few  words, 
until  the  time  referred  to,  I  come  to  the  narrative  of  what 
occurred  to  produce  a  change  in  my  condition.  I  have 
said  that  in  the  chest  there  was  a  spy-glass,  but  it  had 
been  wetted  with  salt-water,  and  was  useless.  Jackson 
had  tried  to  shew  me  how  to  use  it,  and  had  shewn  me 
correctly,  but  the  glasses  were  dimmed  by  the  wet  and 
subsequent  evaporation  from  heat.  I  had  taken  out  all 
the  glasses  and  cleaned  them,  except  the  field-glass  as 
it  is  called,  but  that  being  composed  of  two  glasses,  the 
water  had  penetrated  between  them,  and  it  still  remained 
so  dull  that  nothing  could  be  distinguished  through  it, 
at  the  time  that  Jackson  was  shewing  me  how  to  use 
the  instrument ;  it  was  therefore  put  on  one  side  as 
useless.  A  year  afterwards,  I  took  it  out,  from  curiosity, 
and  then  I  discovered  that  the  moisture  between  the  two 
glasses  had  been  quite  dried  up,  and  that  I  could  see 
very  clearly  through  it,  and  after  a  little  practice  I  could 
use  it  as  well  as  anybody  else.  Still  I  seldom  did  use 
it,  as  my  eyesight  was  particularly  keen,  and  I  did  not 
require  it,  and  as  for  any  vessel  coming  off  the  island, 
I  had  gradually  given  up  all  thoughts  of  it.  It  was  one 
evening  when  the  weather  was  very  rough  and  the  sea 
much  agitated,  that  I  thought  I  saw  something  unusual 
on  the  water,  about  four  miles  distant.     I  supposed  at 


The  Little  Savaoce  1 1 


o 


first  It  might  be  a  spermaceti  whale,  for  numbers  used 
to  play  round  the  island  at  certain  seasons,  and  I  used 
to  watch  their  blowing  and  their  gambols,  if  I  may  use 
the  term,  and  Jackson  often  told  me  long  stories  about 
the  whale  fisheries  j  but  a  ray  of  the  setting  sun  made 
the  object  appear  white,  and  I  ran  for  the  glass,  and 
made  out  that  it  was  a  boat  or  a  very  small  vessel,  with 
a  sail  out,  and  running  before  the  gale  right  down  to 
the  island.  I  watched  it  till  it  was  dark  with  much 
interest,  and  with  thoughts  of  various  kinds  chasing  each 
other  ;  and  then  I  began  to  consider  what  was  best  to 
do.  I  knew  that  in  an  hour  the  moon  would  rise,  and 
as  the  sky  was  not  cloudy,  although  the  wind  and  sea 
were  high,  I  should  probably  be  able  to  see  it  again. 
*'  But  they  never  can  get  on  shore  on  this  side  of  the 
island,"  thought  I,  "with  so  much  sea.  Yes  they  might, 
if  they  ran  for  the  bathing-pool."  After  thinking  a  while, 
I  decided  that  I  would  go  down  to  the  bathing-pool, 
and  place  lighted  faggots  on  the  rocks  on  each  side  of 
the  entrance,  as  this  would  shew  them  where  to  run  for, 
and  how  to  get  in.  I  waited  a  little  longer,  and  then 
taking  my  spy-glass  and  some  tinder  with  me,  I  went 
down  to  the  pool,  carried  two  faggots  to  the  rocks  on 
each  side,  and  having  set  them  on  fire  and  taken  up  others 
to  replace  them  as  soon  as  they  were  burnt  out,  I  sat 
down  with  my  spy-glass  to  see  if  I  could  make  out  where 
the  boat  might  be. 

As  the  moon  rose,  I  descried  her  now  within  a  mile  of 
the  island,  and  her  head  directed  towards  the  beacon  lights 
made  by  the  burning  faggots.  I  threw  another  faggot  on 
each  and  went  down  for  a  further  supply.  The  gale  had 
increased,  and  the  spray  now  dashed  over  the  rocks  to 
where  the  faggots  were  burning,  and  threatened  to  extin- 
guish them,  but  I  put  on  more  wood  and  kept  up  a  fierce 
blaze.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  I  could  distinguish  the 
boat ;  it  was  now  close  to  the  island,  perhaps  three  hundred 
yards  distant,  steering  not  directly  for  the  lights,  but  more 
along  shore.     The  fact  was  that  they  had  hauled  up,  not 


112  The  Little  Savage 

knowing  how  they  could  land  until  they  had  observed  the 
two  lights  clear  of  each  other,  and  then  they  understood 
why  they  had  been  made  ;  and  a  moment  afterwards  they 
bore  up  right  for  the  entrance  to  the  bathing-pool,  and 
came  rushing  on  before  the  rolling  seas.  I  still  trembled 
for  them,  as  I  knew  that  if  the  sea  receded  at  the  time  that 
they  came  to  the  ledge  of  rocks  at  the  entrance,  the  boat 
would  be  dashed  to  pieces,  although  their  lives  might  be 
saved,  but  fortunately  for  them,  it  was  not  so — on  the 
contrary,  they  came  in  borne  up  on  a  huge  wave  which 
carried  them  clear  over  the  ledge,  right  up  to  the  wall 
of  rock  which  I  had  made  across  the  pool,  and  then  the 
boat  grounded. 

"  Hurrah  !  well  done,  that,"  said  a  voice  from  the  boat. 
"  Lower  away  the  sail,  my  lads  ;  all's  right." 

The  sail  was  lowered  down,  and  then,  by  the  light  of 
the  fire,  I  discovered  that  there  were  several  people  in  the 
boat.  I  had  been  too  much  excited  to  say  anything  5 
indeed,  I  did  not  know  what  to  say.  I  only  felt  that  I  was 
no  more  alone,  and  the  reader  may  imagine  my  joy  and 
delight. 


Chapter  XIX 

As  soon  as  the  sail  was  lowered,  the  men  leaped  over 
the  sides  of  the  boat  into  the  water,  and  waded  to  the 
rocks. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  said  one  of  the  men,  addressing  me, 
"  and  how  many  of  you  are  there  here  ?  " 

"  There  is  no  one  on  the  island  but  myself,"  replied  1 5 
"  but  I'm  so  glad  that  you  have  come." 

*'  Are  you  ?  Then  perhaps  you'll  tell  us  how  to  get 
something  to  eat,  my  hearty  ?  "  replied  he. 

"  Oh  yes,  wait  a  little,  and  I'll  bring  you  plenty," 
replied  I. 

"Well,  then,  look  smart,  that's  a  beauty,  for  we  are 


The  Little  Savage  113 

hungry  enough  to  eat  you,  if  you  can  find  us  nothing 
better." 

I  was  about  to  go  up  to  the  cabin  for  some  birds,  when 
another  man  called  out — 

**  I  say — can  you  get  us  any  water  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes,  plenty,"  replied  I. 

"  Well  then,  I  say,  Jim,  hand  us  the  pail  out  of  the 
boat." 

The  one  addressed  did  so,  and  the  man  put  it  into  my 
hands,  saying,  "  Bring  us  that  pail,  boy,  will  you  ? " 
I  hastened  up  to  the  cabin,  filled  the  pail  full  of  water, 
and  then  went  for  a  quantity  of  dried  birds,  with  which  I 
hastened  down  again  to  the  bathing-pool ;  I  found  the 
men  had  not  been  idle,  they  had  taken  some  faggots  off 
the  stack  and  made  a  large  fire  under  the  rocks,  and 
were  then  busy  making  a  sort  of  tent  with  the  boat's 
sails. 

*' Here's  the  water,  and  here's  some  birds,"  said  I,  as 
I  came  up  to  them. 

"  Birds  !  what  birds  ? "  said  the  man  who  had  first 
spoken  to  me,  and  appeared  to  have  control  over  the  rest. 
He  took  one  up  and  examined  it  by  the  light  of  the  fire, 
exclaiming,  "  Queer  eating,  I  expect." 

"Why,  you  didn't  expect  a  regular  hotel  when  you 
landed,  did  you,  mate  ?  "  said  one  of  the  men. 

"  No,  if  I  had,  I  would  have  called  for  a  glass  of  grog," 
replied  he.  "I  suspect  I  might  call  a  long  while  before  I 
get  anyone  to  bring  me  one  here." 

As  I  knew  that  Jackson  called  the  rum  by  the  name 
of  grog,  I  said,  "There's  plenty  of  grog,  if  you  want 
any." 

"  Is  there,  my  hearty, — where  ?  " 

**  Why,  in  that  cask  that's  in  the  water  on  the  other  side 
of  your  little  ship,"  replied  I.  "I  can  draw  you  some 
directly." 

"  What !  in  that  cask  ?  Grog  floating  about  in  salt 
water,  that's  too  bad.  Come  here  all  of  you — You're  in 
earnest,  boy — no  joking  I  hope,  or  you  may  repent  it." 

L.S.  H 


114  The  Little  Savage 

"  I'm  not  joking,"  said  I — "  there  it  is." 

The  man,  followed  by  all  the  rest,  excepting  one  of  the 
party,  waded  into  the  water,  and  went  to  the  cask  of  rum. 

"  Take  care,"  said  I,  "  the  spiles  are  in." 

"  So  I  see — never  fear,  my  hearty — come  now  all  of 
us."  So  saying,  the  whole  of  them  laid  hold  of  the  cask 
by  the  chains,  and  lifting  it  up,  they  carried  it  clean  out  of 
the  water,  and  placed  it  on  the  rocks  by  the  side  of  the 
pool. 

"  Hand  us  the  little  kid  out  of  the  boat,  Jim,"  said  the 
man ;  "  we'll  soon  see  if  it's  the  right  stuff." 

He  took  out  the  spiles,  drew  off  some  of  the  liquor,  and 
tasting  it,  swore  it  was  excellent.  It  was  then  handed 
round,  and  all  the  men  took  some. 

**  We're  in  luck  to-night ;  we're  fallen  upon  our  legs," 
said  the  first  man.  "  I  say,  Jim,  put  them  dried  chickens 
into  the  pitch-kettle  along  with  some  taters  out  of  the  bag 
— they'll  make  a  good  mess  ;  and  then  with  this  cask  of 
grog  to  go  to,  we  shan't  do  badly." 

"  I  say,  old  fellow,"  said  he,  turning  to  me,  "  you're 
a  regular  trump.  Who  left  you  on  shore  to  get  all  ready 
for  us  ? " 

**  I  was  born  here,"  replied  I. 

"  Born  here  !  well,  we'll  hear  all  about  that  to-morrow 
— just  now,  we'll  make  up  for  lost  time,  for  we've  had 
nothing  to  eat  or  drink  since  Wednesday  morning.  Look 
alive,  my  lads  !  get  up  the  hurricane-house.  Jim,  put  the 
pail  of  water  into  the  kettle,  and  send  the  islander  here 
for  another  pailful,  for  grog." 

The  pail  was  handed  to  me,  and  I  soon  returned  with 
it  full;  and,  as  I  did  not  see  that  they  had  a  pannikin, 
I  brought  one  down  and  gave  it  to  them. 

"  You're  a  fine  boy,"  said  the  mate ;  (as  I  afterwards 
found  out  that  he  was).  "  And  now,  I  say,  where  do  you 
hold  out .?     Have  you  a  hut  or  a  cave  to  live  in  ?  " 

"Yes,"  replied  I;  I  have  a  cabin,  but  it  is  not  large 
enough  for  all  of  you." 

"  No,  no  !   we  don't  want  to  go  there — we  are  very 


The  Little  Savage  1 1 5 

well  where  we  are,  alongside  of  the  cask  of  rum  ;  but 
you  see,  my  lad,  we  have  a  woman  here." 

"  A  woman  !  "  said  I ;  "  I  never  saw  a  woman.  Where 
is  she  ?  " 

**  There  she  is,  sitting  by  the  fire." 

I  looked  round,  and  perceived  that  there  was  one  of  the 
party  wrapped  up  in  a  blanket,  and  with  a  wide  straw  hat 
on  the  head,  which  completely  concealed  the  form  from 
me.  The  fact  is,  that  the  woman  looked  like  a  bundle, 
and  remained  by  the  fire  quite  as  inanimate.  At  my  saying 
that  I  never  saw  a  woman,  the  man  burst  into  a  loud 
laugh. 

*'  Why,  did  you  not  say  that  you  were  born  on  the 
island,  boy  ? "  said  the  mate  at  last.  "  Were  you  born 
without  a  mother  ? " 

"I  cannot  recollect  my  mother — she  died  when  I  was 
very  young  ;  and  therefore  I  said,  that  I  had  never  seen 
a  woman." 

"  Well,  that's  explained  ;  but  you  see,  my  lad — this  is 
not  only  a  woman,  but  a  very  particular  sort  of  a  woman  -, 
and  it  will  not  do  for  her  to  remain  here  after  we  have  had 
our  supper — for  after  supper,  the  men  may  take  a  drop  too 
much,  and  not  behave  themselves;  so  I  asked  you  about 
your  cabin,  that  you  might  take  her  there  to  sleep.  Can 
you  do  that  ? " 

"  Yes,"  replied  I ;  **  I  will  take  her  there,  if  she  wishes 
to  go." 

"  That's  all  right  then  ;  she'll  be  better  there  than  here, 
at  all  events.  I  say,  boy,  where  did  you  leave  your 
trousers  ?  " 

"  I  never  wear  any." 

**  Well  then,  if  you  have  any,  I  advise  you  to  put  them 
on,  for  you  are  quite  old  enough  to  be  breeched." 

I  remained  with  them  while  the  supper  was  cooking, 
asking  all  manner  of  questions,  which  caused  great  mirth. 
The  pitch  kettle,  which  was  a  large  iron  pot  on  three 
short  legs,  surprised  me  a  good  deal,  I  had  never  seen 
such  a  thing  before,  or  anything  put  on  the  fire.     I  asked 


ii6  The  Little  Savage 

what  it  was,  and  what  it  was  made  of.  The  potatoes  also 
astonished  me,  as  I  had  never  yet  seen  an  edible  root. 

*' Why,  where  have  you  been  all  your  life?"  said  one 
of  the  men. 

"  On  this  island,"  replied  I,  very  naively. 

I  waded  into  the  water  to  examine  the  boat  as  well  as 
I  could  by  the  light  of  the  fire,  but  I  could  see  little,  and 
was  obliged  to  defer  my  examination  till  the  next  day. 
Before  the  supper  was  cooked  and  eaten,  I  did,  however, 
gain  the  following  information. 

That  they  were  a  portion  of  the  crew  of  a  whaler, 
which  had  struck  on  a  reef  of  rocks  about  seventy  miles 
off,  and  that  they  had  been  obliged  to  leave  her  immedi- 
ately, as  she  fell  on  her  broadside  a  few  minutes  after- 
wards ;  that  they  had  left  in  two  boats,  but  did  not  know 
what  had  become  of  the  other  boat,  which  parted  com- 
pany during  the  night.  The  captain  and  six  men  were  in 
the  other  boat,  and  the  mate  with  six  men  in  the  one 
which  had  just  landed — besides  the  lady. 

"  What's  a  lady  ?  "  said  I. 

"  I  mean  the  woman  who  sits  there  ;  her  husband  was 
killed  by  some  of  the  people  of  the  Sandwich  Isles,  and 
she  was  going  home  to  England.  We  have  a  consort, 
another  whaler,  who  was  to  have  taken  our  cargo  of  oil 
on  board,  and  to  have  gone  to  England  with  that  and  her 
own  cargo,  and  the  missionary's  wife  was  to  have  been 
sent  home  in  her." 

"  What's  a  missionary  ?  "  inquired  I. 

"  Well,  I  don't  exactly  know  5  but  he  is  a  preacher  who 
goes  out  to  teach  the  savages." 

By  this  time  the  supper  was  cooked,  and  the  odour 
from  the  pitch  kettle  was  more  savoury  than  anything 
that  I  had  ever  yet  smelt.  The  kettle  was  lifted  off  the 
fire,  the  contents  of  it  poured  into  a  kid,  and  after  they 
had  given  a  portion  in  the  small  kid  to  the  woman,  who 
still  remained  huddled  up  in  the  blanket  by  the  fire,  they 
all  sat  round  the  large  kid,  and  commenced  their  supper. 

"  Come,  boy,  and  join  us,"  said  the  mate,  "  you  can't 


* 


The  Little  Savage  117 

have  had  your  supper ;  and  as  you've  found  one  for  us, 
it's  hard  but  you  should  share  it  with  us." 

I  was  not  sorry  to  do  as  he  told  me,  and  I  must  say 
that  I  never  enjoyed  a  repast  so  much  in  my  life. 

"I  say,  boy,  have  you  a  good  stock  of  them  dried 
chickens  of  yours  ?  "  said  the  mate. 

**  Yes,  I  have  a  great  many,  but  not  enough  to  last  long 
for  so  many  people." 

**  Well,  but  we  can  get  more,  can't  we  ? " 

"  No  !  "  replied  I,  "  not  until  the  birds  come  again,  and 
that  will  not  be  for  these  next  five  moons." 

"  Five  moons  !  what  do  you  mean  ? " 

"  I  mean,  five  full  moons  must  come,  one  after  another." 

"  Oh,  I  understand ;  why  then  we  must  not  remain  on 
the  island." 

'*No,"  replied  I,  "we  must  all  go,  or  we  shall  starve; 
I  am  so  glad  that  you  are  come,  and  the  sooner  you  go  the 
better.     Will  you  take  Nero  with  you  ?  " 

"Who  is  Nero.?" 

"  Nero — my  seal — he's  very  tame." 

"  Well,  we'll  see  about  it ;  at  all  events,"  said  he,  turn- 
ing to  the  other  men,  "  we  must  decide  upon  something, 
and  that  quickly,  for  we  shall  starve  if  we  remain  here 
any  time." 

It  appeared  that  they  had  left  the  whaler  in  such  a  hurry, 
that  they  had  only  had  time  to  throw  into  the  boat  two 
breakers  of  water,  four  empty  breakers  to  fill  with  salt- 
water for  ballast  to  the  boat,  and  the  iron  pitch  kettle, 
with  a  large  sack  of  potatoes. 

As  soon  as  supper  was  finished,  they  went  to  the  cask 
for  the  rum,  and  then  the  mate  said  to  me — 

"Now  I'll  go  and  speak  to  the  woman,  and  you  shall 
take  her  to  sleep  in  your  cabin." 

During  the  whole  of  this  time  the  woman,  as  the  mate 
called  her,  had  never  spoken  a  word.  She  had  taken  her 
supper,  and  eaten  it  in  silence,  still  remaining  by  the  fire, 
huddled  up  in  the  blanket.  On  the  mate  speaking  to  her, 
she  rose  up,  and  I  then  perceived  that  she  was  much  taller 


ii8  The  Little  Savage 

than  I  thought  she  could  have  been ;  but  her  Panama  hat 
still  concealed  her  face  altogether. 

"Now  then,  my  lad,"  said  the  mate,  "shew  the  lady 
where  she  is  to  sleep,  and  then  you  can  join  us  again  if 
you  like." 

"  Will  you  come  with  me  ? "  said  I,  walking  away. 

The  woman  followed  me  up  the  path.  When  we  arrived 
at  the  platform  opposite  the  cabin,  I  recollected  Nero,^ 
whom  I  had  ordered  to  stay  there  till  my  return. 

"  You  won't  be  afraid  of  the  seal,"  said  I,  "  will  you  ? 
he  is  very  good-natured.     Nero,  come  here." 

It  was  rather  dark  as  Nero  came  shuffling  up,  and  I 
went  forward  to  coax  him,  for  he  snarled  a  little  at  seeing 
a  stranger. 

"Have  you  no  light  at  hand?"  said  my  companion, 
speaking  for  the  first  time  in  a  very  soft,  yet  clear  voice. 

"  No,  I  have  not,  but  I  will  get  some  tinder,  and  make 
a  fire  with  one  of  the  faggots,  and  then  you  will  be  able 
to  see." 

"  Do  so,  then,  my  good  lad,"  replied  she. 

I  thought  her  voice  very  pleasing. 

I  soon  lighted  the  faggot  and  enabled  her  to  see  Nero 
(who  was  now  quite  quiet)  and  also  the  interior  of  the 
cabin. 

She  examined  the  cabin  and  the  bed-places,  and  then 
said, 

"  Where  do  you  sleep  ? " 

I  replied  by  shewing  her  my  bed-place.  "  And  this," 
said  I,  pointing  to  the  one  opposite,  "  was  Jackson's,  and 
you  can  sleep  in  that.  Nero  sleeps  with  me.  Here  are 
plenty  of  seal  skins  to  keep  you  warm  if  you  are  cold. 
Are  your  clothes  wet  ?  " 

"  No,  they  are  quite  dry  now,"  replied  she  ;  "  if  you 
will  get  me  some  seal  skins,  I  will  lie  down  on  them,  for 
I  am  very  tired." 

I  spread  five  or  six  skins  one  on  the  other,  in  Jackson's 
bed-place,  and  then  I  went  out  and  threw  another  faggot 
on  the  fire,  that  we  might  have  more  light. 


The  Little  Savage  119 

"  Do  you  want  anything  else  ?  "  said  I. 

"  Nothing,  I  thank  you.     Are  you  going  to  bed  now  ? " 

**  I  was  meaning  to  go  down  again  to  the  men,  but  now 
I  think  of  it,  I  do  not  like  to  leave  you  alone  with  Nero, 
as  he  might  bite  you.     Are  you  afraid  of  him  ?  " 

"  No,  I'm  not  much  afraid,  but  still  I  have  no  wish  to 
be  bitten,  and  I  am  not  used  to  sleep  with  such  animals, 
as  you  are." 

**  Well  then,  I'll  tell  you  how  we'll  manage  it.  I  will 
take  some  skins  outside,  and  sleep  there.  Nero  will  not 
leave  me,  and  then  you  won't  be  afraid.  The  weather  is 
clearing  up  fast,  and  there's  very  little  wind  to  what  there 
was — besides,  it  will  be  daylight  in  three  or  four  hours." 

"  As  you  please,"  was  the  reply. 

Accordingly  I  took  some  seal  skins  out  on  the  platform, 
and  spreading  them,  I  lay  down  upon  them,  wishing  her 
good-night,  and  Nero  soon  joined  me,  and  we  were  both 
fast  asleep  in  a  few  minutes. 


Chapter  XX 

Nero,  who  was  an  early  riser,  woke  me  up  at  day-break, 
or  I  should  have  slept  much  longer  •,  for  I  had  been  tired 
out  with  the  fatigue  and  excitement  of  the  night  before. 
As  soon  as  I  was  up,  I  looked  into  the  cabin,  and  found 
the  woman  was  fast  asleep ;  her  straw  hat  was  off,  but  she 
had  lain  down  in  her  clothes.  Her  black  hair  was  hanging 
about  her  shoulders.  Having  only  seen  Jackson  with  his 
bushy  beard,  I  had  been  somewhat  surprised  when  I  first 
saw  the  men  on  their  landing  so  comparatively  clear  of  hair 
on  their  face  ;  my  astonishment  at  the  clear  white  skin  of  a 
woman — and  in  this  instance,  it  was  peculiarly  white  and 
pallid — was  very  great.  I  also  perceived  how  much  more 
delicate  her  features  were  than  those  of  the  men  5  her 
teeth,  too,  were  very  white,  and  Jackson's  were  dis- 
coloured and  bad  ;  I  longed  to  see  her  eyes,  but  they  were 


I20  The  Little  Savage 

closed.  Any  other  difference  I  could  not  perceive,  as  she 
had  drawn  the  blanket  close  up  to  her  chin. 

"  This  is  then  a  woman,"  said  I  to  myself :  "  yes,  and  it's 
very  like  what  I  used  to  see  in  my  dreams."  I  looked  a 
little  longer,  and  then,  hearing  Nero  coming  into  the 
cabin  behind  me,  and  afraid  that  she  would  awake,  I  made 
a  hasty  retreat. 

I  remained  at  this  part  of  the  cabin  considering  what  I 
should  do.  I  thought  I  would  light  a  fire,  and  go  down 
for  a  fish  to  broil  on  the  embers  for  her  breakfast,  so  I 
called  Nero  to  come  down  with  me.  On  arriving  at  the 
pool,  I  found  all  the  seamen  fast  asleep  under  the  tent  they 
had  made  with  the  boat's  sails ;  and  they  appeared  to  be 
much  the  same  as  Jackson  used  to  be  after  he  had  got 
drunk  the  night  before ;  I  presumed  therefore,  that  such 
was  their  state,  and  was  not  far  wrong.  Nero  went  into 
the  pool  and  brought  out  a  fish,  as  I  ordered  him,  and  I 
then  walked  to  the  boat  to  examine  it.  This  took  me  half 
an  hour,  and  I  was  sorry  that  none  of  the  men  were  awake, 
that  so  I  might  ask  any  questions  I  wished.  I  examined 
the  pitch-kettle,  and  the  boat's  sails,  and  the  breakers. 
Breakers  are  small  casks,  holding  about  six  to  seven 
gallons  of  water,  and  are  very  handy  for  boats.  I  remained 
about  an  hour,  and  then  went  back  to  the  cabin,  carrying  a 
faggot  on  my  shoulder,  Nero  following  with  the  fish  in  his 
mouth.  We  were  met  by  the  woman,  who  came  out  of 
the  cabin ;  she  no  longer  had  the  blanket  round  her,  for  it 
was  a  beautiful  bright  morning,  and  very  warm. 

**  Nero  is  bringing  you  your  breakfast,"  said  I,  "  so  you 
ought  to  like  him." 

"  I ,  dare  say  I  shall,  if  we  are  to  be  companions  in 
future,"  replied  she. 

"  Do  you  want  anything  ?  "  said  I. 

"  Yes,  a  little  water,  if  you  can  get  me  some." 

I  filled  the  kid  from  the  spring,  JDUt  it  down  by  her,  and 
then  took  out  the  inside  of  the  fish,  and  fed  the  birds,  who 
were  crowding  round  me. 

The  woman  washed  her  face  and  hands,  braided  up  her 


The  Little  Savage  121 

hair,  and  then  sat  down  on  the  rock.  In  the  meantime,  I 
had  lighted  my  faggot,  cleaned  the  fish,  and  waited  till  the 
wood  was  burnt  to  ashes  before  I  put  the  fish  on  the  fire. 
Having  then  nothing  to  do,  I  thought  that  reading  would 
amuse  the  woman,  and  I  went  in  for  the  Bible. 

"  Shall  I  read  to  you  ?  "  said  I. 

"  Yes,"  replied  she,  with  some  astonishment  in  her  looks. 

I  read  to  her  the  history  of  Joseph  and  his  brethren, 
which  was  my  favourite  story  in  the  Bible. 

"  Who  taught  you  to  read  ? "  said  she,  as  I  shut  the 
book,  and  put  the  fish  on  the  embers. 

*'  Jackson,"  said  I. 

"  He  was  a  good  man,  was  he  not  ?  "  replied  she. 

I  shook  my  head.  "  No,  not  very  good,"  said  I,  at  last. 
**  If  you  knew  all  about  him,  you  would  say  the  same  ;  but 
he  taught  me  to  read." 

**  How  long  have  you  been  on  this  island  ? "  said  she. 

"  I  was  born  on  it,  but  my  father  and  mother  are  both 
dead,  and  Jackson  died  three  years  ago — since  that  I  have 
been  quite  alone,  only  Nero  with  me." 

She  then  asked  me  a  great  many  more  questions,  and  I 
gave  her  a  short  narration  of  what  had  passed,  and  what 
Jackson  had  told  me  ;  I  also  informed  her  how  it  was  I 
procured  food,  and  how  we  must  soon  leave  the  island, 
now  that  we  were  so  many,  or  the  food  would  not  last  out 
till  the  birds  came  again. 

By  this  time  the  fish  was  cooked,  and  I  took  it  off  the 
fire  and  put  it  into  the  kid,  and  we  sat  down  to  breakfast ; 
in  an  hour  or  so,  we  had  become  very  sociable. 

I  must  however  now  stop  a  little  to  describe  her.  What 
the  men  had  told  me  was  quite  true.  She  had  lost  her 
husband,  and  was  intending  to  proceed  to  England.  Her 
name  was  Reichardt,  for  her  husband  was  a  German,  or  of 
German  family.  She  was,  as  I  have  since  ascertained,  about 
thirty-seven  years  old,  and  very  tall  and  elegant ;  she  must 
have  been  very  handsome  when  she  was  younger,  but  she 
had  suffered  much  hardship  in  following  her  husband  as 
she  had  done,  through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  his  travels. 


122  The  Little  Savage 

Her  face  was  oval ;  eyes  black  and  large ;  and  her  hair 
black  as  the  raven's  wing  ;  her  features  were  small  and 
regular  j  her  teeth  white  and  good ;  but  her  complexion 
was  very  pallid,  and  not  a  vestige  of  colour  on  her  cheeks. 
As  I  have  since  thought,  it  was  more  like  a  marble  statue 
than  anything  I  can  compare  her  to.  There  was  a  degree 
of  severity  in  her  countenance  when  she  did  not  smile,  and 
it  was  seldom  that  she  did.  I  certainly  looked  upon  her 
with  more  awe  than  regard,  for  some  time  after  I  became 
acquainted  with  her ;  and  yet  her  voice  was  soft  and 
pleasant,  and  her  manners  very  amiable ;  but  it  must  be 
remembered  I  had  never  before  seen  a  woman.  After 
breakfast  was  over,  I  proposed  going  down  to  where  the 
seamen  lay,  to  see  if  they  were  awake,  but  I  told  her  I 
thought  that  they  would  not  be. 

"  I  will  go  with  you,  as  I  left  a  basket  with  some  things 
of  mine  in  the  boat,  and  it  will  be  as  well  to  bring  them 
up  at  once." 

We  therefore  set  off  together,  I  having  ordered  Nero  to 
stay  in  the  cabin.  On  our  arrival  at  the  pool  we  found 
the  men  still  fast  asleep ;  and  by  her  directions  I  went  into 
the  water  to  the  boat,  and  brought  out  a  basket  and  a 
small  bundle  which  she  pointed  out. 

"  Shall  I  w^ake  them  ? "  said  I. 

*'No,  no,"  replied  she;  "so  long  as  they  sleep,  they 
will  be  doing  no  harm.  But,"  said  she,  "we  may  as  well 
take  some  potatoes  up  with  us ;  fill  both  these  handker- 
chiefs," continued  she,  taking  two  out  of  the  bundle.  I 
did  so,  and  she  took  one  and  I  the  other,  and  we  returned 
to  the  cabin. 

"  Are  these  all  the  birds  that  you  have  for  food  ? "  said 
she,  looking  at  the  pile  in  the  cabin. 

"  Yes,"  replied  I.  "  But  what  are  we  to  do  with  the 
potatoes  ? " 

"  We  can  roast  them  by  the  fire  if  we  like,"  said  she ; 
"  but  at  present  we  had  better  take  them  into  the  cabin. 
Did  you  plant  all  these  flowers  and  creepers  which  grow 
over  the  cabin  ? " 


The  Little  Savage  123 

"  Yes,"  replied  I.  "  I  was  alone  and  had  nothing  to 
do,  so  I  thought  I  would  make  a  garden." 

*'They  are  very  pretty.  Now  that  I  am  back,  you  can 
go  down  to  the  men  if  you  please,  and  tell  them,  when 
they  wake  up,  that  I  wish  to  have  the  smallest  of  the 
boat's  sails,  to  make  a  screen  of.  Tell  the  mate,  he  is  the 
most  civil." 

"  I  will,"  said  I.     "  Is  there  anything  else  ?  " 

"  Yes,  bring  up  a  few  more  potatoes ;  they  will  let  you 
take  them  if  you  say  that  I  told  you." 

**  Shall  I  take  Nero  with  me  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  do  not  want  his  company,  for  I  am  a  little  afraid 
of  him." 

I  called  Nero,  who  came  after  me,  and  went  down  to 
the  pool,  when  I  found  that  the  men  had  all  woke  up,  and 
were  very  busy,  some  lighting  a  fire,  some  washing 
potatoes,  and  some  trying  to  catch  the  fish  in  the  pool. 

"  Oh,  here  he  is.  Come,  boy,  what  have  you  got  for 
our  breakfast  ?  We've  been  trying  to  catch  some  of  these 
fish,  but  they're  as  quick  as  eels." 

*'  Nero  will  soon  catch  you  what  you  want,"  replied  I. 
"  Here,  Nero,  in." 

Nero  plunged  in,  and  soon  brought  out  a  fish,  and  I 
then  sent  him  in  for  another. 

"  Thanks,  lad,"  said  the  mate ;  "  that  will  be  enough 
for  our  breakfast.  That  seal  of  yours  is  a  handy  fellow, 
and  well  trained." 

While  the  other  men  were  getting  breakfast,  one  of 
them  went  up  to  Nero,  I  believe  with  the  intention  of 
making  friends  with  him,  but  Nero  rejected  his  advances, 
and  showed  his  sharp  teeth,  snapping  at  him  several  times. 
The  man  became  angry,  and  caught  up  a  piece  of  rock  to 
throw  at  the  seal.  He  aimed  at  the  animal's  nose,  and 
narrowly  missed  hitting  it.  Had  he  done  so,  he  would 
probably  have  killed  it.  This  made  me  very  angry,  and  I 
told  the  man  not  to  do  so  again ;  upon  this,  he  caught  up 
another,  and  was  about  to  throw  it,  when  I  seized  him  by 
the  collar  with  my  left  hand,  and  with  my  right  drawing 


J  24  The  Little  Savage 

my  American  knife,  I  threatened  to  stab  him  with  it,  if  he 
attacked  the  beast.  The  man  started  back,  and  in  so 
doing,  fell  over  a  piece  of  rock,  on  his  back.  This  quarrel 
brought  the  mate  to  us,  along  with  two  or  three  of  the 
men.     My  knife  was  still  lifted  up,  when  the  mate  said — 

"  Come,  my  hearty,  no  knives,  we  don't  allow  them. 
That's  not  English.  Put  it  up,  no  one  shall  hurt  the  beast, 
I  promise  you.  Bob,  you  fool,  why  couldn't  you  leave  the 
animal  alone  ?     You  forget  you  are  among  savages,  here." 

At  this,  the  other  men  burst  out  into  a  laugh. 

**  Yes,"  observed  one ;  "  I  can  swear,  when  I  get  back, 
that  the  natives  of  this  island  are  savages,  who  eat  raw 
flesh,  have  seals  for  playmates,  and  don't  wear  clothes 
enough  for  common  decency." 

This  made  them  laugh  more,  and  the  man  who  had 
attacked  Nero,  and  who  had  got  upon  his  legs  again,  joined 
with  the  others  ;  so  all  was  again  good-humour.  The  men 
sat  down  to  their  breakfast,  while  I  examined  the  boat 
again,  and  afterwards  asked  many  questions,  with  which 
they  were  much  amused,  every  now  and  then  observing, 
"Well,  he  is  a  savage  !  " 

After  they  had  breakfasted,  I  made  Nero  catch  another  fish 
and  sent  him  up  to  the  cabin  with  it,  as  I  was  afraid  that 
the  man  might  do  him  an  injury,  and  then  told  the  mate 
that  the  woman  had  desired  me  to  bring  up  some  potatoes. 

"  Take  them,"  said  he  ;  "  but  you  have  nothing  to  carry 
them  up  with.  Here,  fill  the  pail,  and  I  will  go  to  the 
cabin  with  you." 

"  She  told  me  that  I  was  to  ask  you  for  a  small  boat's 
sail,  to  hang  up  as  a  screen." 

**  Well,  she  shall  have  the  boat's  mizen.  We  don't 
want  it.     I'll  carry  it  up." 

The  mate  threw  the  sail  and  yard  over  his  shoulder, 
and  followed  me  up  to  the  cabin.  On  our  arrival,  we 
found  the  missionary's  wife  sitting  on  the  platform,  Nero 
lying  not  far  from  her,  with  the  fish  beside  him.  The 
mate  took  ofi*  his  hat,  and  saluted  my  new  companion, 
saying,  "  That  he  hoped  she  was  comfortable  last  night." 


The  Little  Savage  125 

"  Yes,"  replied  she,  "  as  much  so  as  I  could  expect ; 
but  I  turned  this  good  lad  out  of  his  cabin,  which  I  do  not 
wish  to  do  again,  and  therefore  I  requested  the  sail  for  a 
screen.  Now,  John  Gough,  what  do  you  intend  to  do  ?  " 
continued  she. 

The  mate  replied,  "  I  came  up  here  to  see  what  quantity 
of  provisions  the  lad  might  have.  By  his  account,  it  will 
not  last  more  than  a  month,  and  it  will  take  some  time 
before  we  can  reach  where  we  are  likely  to  fall  in  with  any 
vessel.  Stay  here  we  cannot,  for  we  shall  only  eat  the 
provision  and  lose  time,  therefore,  the  sooner  we  are  off 
the  better." 

"  If  you  take  all  the  provision,  of  course  you  will  take 
the  lad  with  you  ? "  replied  she. 

**  Of  course  we  will." 

"  And  my  chest,  and  my  seal  ? "  inquired  I. 

"  Yes,  your  chest,  certainly,  but  as  for  your  seal,  I  do  not 
know  what  to  say  to  that — he  will  be  starved  in  the  boat, 
and  if  you  give  him  his  liberty,  he  will  do  well  enough." 

"  What  you  say  is  very  true,"  replied  the  woman.  "  I 
am  afraid,  boy,  that  you  will  have  to  part  with  your  friend. 
It  will  be  better  for  both  of  you." 

I  made  no  reply,  for  it  cut  me  to  the  heart  to  think  of 
parting  with  Nero ;  but  still  I  had  sense  enough  to  per- 
ceive that  what  they  said  was  right. 

The  mate  then  went  into  the  cabin,  and  examined  the 
heap  of  dried  birds  which  I  had  collected,  and  having  made 
his  calculation,  said  that  there  were  sufficient  for  three 
weeks,  but  not  more. 

"And  when  do  you  think  of  leaving  this  island?" 
inquired  the  woman. 

"  The  day  after  to-morrow,  if  I  can  persuade  the  men, 
madam,"  replied  he  ;  "  but  you  know  they  are  not  very 
easy  to  manage,  and  very  thoughtless,  especially  now  that 
they  have  so  unexpectedly  fallen  in  with  liquor." 

"  That  I  admit,"  replied  she  ;  "  but  as  they  will 
probably  take  the  liquor  in  the  boat,  that  will  not  make  so 
great  a  difference." 


126  The  Little  Savage 

"  I  shall  go  down  and  speak  to  them  now  they're  all 
sober,"  replied  the  mate,  "  and  will  let  you  know  in  the 
evening,  or  to-morrow  morning,  perhaps,  will  be  better." 
The  mate  then  saluted  her  by  touching  his  hat,  and  left  us. 


Chapter  XXI 

There  was  one  thing  which  had  made  a  great  impression 
on  me  in  the  conversation  with  the  men  in  the  morning. 
They  called  me  a  Savage,  and  said  that  I  had  not  sufficient 
clothes  on  ;  and  as  I  observed  that  they  were  all  dressed 
in  jackets  and  trousers,  which  covered  them  from  head  to 
foot,  I  took  it  for  granted  that  my  shirt,  which  was  all  that 
I  wore,  was  not  a  sufficient  clothing.  This  had  never 
occurred  to  me  before,  nor  can  the  reader  be  surprised  at 
it.  I  had  been  like  our  first  parents  in  Eden — naked  but 
not  ashamed — but  now  that  I  had  suddenly  come  in  contact 
with  my  fellow-men,  I  felt  as  if  something  were  amiss. 
The  consequence  was,  that  I  went  to  the  chest  and  got 
out  a  pair  of  white  trousers,  and  put  them  on.  I  thought 
them  very  uncomfortable  and  very  unnecessary  articles,  but 
others  wore  them,  and  I  felt  that  I  must  do  so  also.  They 
were  rather  long  for  me,  but  I  rolled  up  the  bottoms  of  the 
legs,  as  I  observed  that  the  seamen  did,  and  then  came  out 
on  the  platform,  where  the  missionary's  wife  was  still  seated, 
looking  out  upon  the  waves  as  they  lashed  the  rocks.  She 
immediately  observed  the  addition  that  I  had  made  to  my 
dress,  and  said, 

"  That  is  a  great  improvement.  Now  you  look  like 
other  people.     What  is  your  name  ?  you  have  not  told  me." 

When  I  had  answered  the  question,  I  said  to  her — 

**  I  have  brought  up  more  of  the  potatoes,  as  you  call 
them  ;  what  am  I  to  do  with  them  ? " 

"  First  tell  me,  have  you  any  spot  that  you  know  about 
the  island  where  there  is  mould — that  is,  earth,  like  you 
have  in  your  garden — where  we  can  plant  them  ?  " 


The  Little  Savage  127 

"  Yes,"  replied  I,  '*  there  is  some  up  there,"  and  I 
pointed  to  one-third  up  the  ravine.  **  I  brought  all  this 
earth  from  there,  and  there  is  plenty  of  it ;  but  what  is  the 
good  of  planting  them  ?  " 

"Because,"  said  she,  "one  of  the  potatoes  planted  will, 
in  a  very  short  time,  grow,  and  then  it  will  produce 
perhaps  thirty  or  forty  potatoes  at  its  roots  as  large  as 
these ;  they  are  excellent  things  for  food,  and  where  there 
is  nothing  else  to  be  had,  may  be  the  means  of  preserving 
life." 

"Well,  that  may  be,"  replied  I,  "  and  if  we  were  going 
to  remain  on  the  island,  it  would  be  well  to  plant  them, 
but  as  we  are  going  away  the  day  after  to-morrow,  what's 
the  use  of  it  ?  I  know  that  they  are  very  nice,  for  I  had 
some  for  supper  last  night." 

"  But  are  we  only  to  think  of  ourselves  in  this  world, 
and  not  of  others  ?  "  replied  she.  "  Suppose,  two  or  three 
years  hence,  another  boat  were  to  be  cast  away  on  this 
island,  and  not  find,  as  we  have,  you  here,  \  :th  provisions 
ready  for  them,  they  would  starve  miserably  ;  whereas,  if 
we  plant  these  potatoes,  they  may  find  plenty  of  food  and 
be  saved.  Only  think  how  glad  your  father  and  mother 
would  have  been  to  have  found  potatoes  on  the  island 
when  they  were  thrown  on  it.  "We  must  not  live  only  for 
ourselves,  but  we  must  think  and  try  to  do  good  to  others 
— that  is  the  duty  of  a  Christian." 

"  I  think  you  are  very  right,"  replied  I,  "  and  a  very 
kind  person  too.  If  you  wish  it  I  will  go  and  plant  the 
potatoes  this  day.     How  am  I  to  plant  them  ? " 

"  They  have  a  shovel  in  the  boat,"  said  she,  "  for  I  saw 
them  throwing  the  water  out  with  it.  Go  down  and  get 
it,  and  then  I  will  go  with  you  and  show  you." 

I  went  down  and  the  mate  gave  me  the  shovel,  which  I 
carried  up  to  her.  I  found  her  cutting  the  potatoes  into 
pieces,  and  she  showed  me  how  she  cut  them,  leaving  an 
eye  in  each  piece,  and  explained  the  reason  for  it.  I  was 
soon  very  busy  cutting  away  alongside  of  her,  and  before 
long  the  pail  of  potatoes  was  all  ready  to  be  planted. 


128  The  Little  Savage 

We  then  walked  to  the  ravine,  and  she  showed  me  how 
to  use  the  shovel,  and  I  made  the  holes.  Before  noon  we 
had  planted  all  that  we  had  cut,  but  we  had  still  the  two 
handkerchiefs  full  that  we  had  at  first  brought  up  with  us. 
We  returned  to  the  cabin,  and  I  prepared  the  fish  for 
dinner.  After  it  was  on  the  embers,  she  wished  to  have 
the  screen  put  up  beside  her  bed-place. 

"  Go  down  to  the  mate,"  said  she,  "  and  ask  him  for 
the  hammer  and  three  or  four  nails.  I  know  they  have 
them  in  the  boat." 

**  I  may  as  well  take  them  down  some  birds  for  their 
dinner,"  replied  I,  "for  they  will  want  them." 

"  Yes,  do  so ;  and  then  come  back  to  me  as  soon  as  you 
can. 

The  mate  gave  me  the  hammer,  an  article  I  had  never 
seen  before,  and  five  or  six  nails,  with  which  I  returned  to 
the  cabin,  and  nailed  up  the  sail  as  a  screen. 

"Now  you  will  be  able  to  sleep  in  your  own  bed-place 
to-night,"  said  she. 

I  made  no  reply ;  but  I  could  not  imagine  why  I  could 
not  have  done  so  the  night  before,  for  I  had  only  gone  out 
of  the  cabin  that  she  might  not  be  frightened  by  Nero 
being  so  close  to  her. 

After  we  had  eaten  our  dinner,  she  said  to  me — 

"  How  could  you  contrive  to  live  on  this  island,  if  you 
had  no  dried  birds  ?  " 

"  How  ? "  replied  I ;  "  why,  very  badly.  I  might  catch 
fish ;  but  there  are  times  in  the  year  when  you  can  catch 
no  fish,  they  won't  take  bait,  neither  will  they  when  the 
weather  is  rough.  Besides,  I  have  only  two  lines,  and  I 
might  lose  them  both — then  what  would  become  of  me  ? 
I  should  starve." 

"Well,  then,  you  see  under  all  circumstances,  it  was 
just  as  well  to  plant  the  potatoes,  for  other  people  may 
come  here  and  be  in  your  position." 

"  Yes,  that  is  true,  but  we  shall  not  be  here  long  now, 
and  you  don't  know  how  glad  I  am  to  go.  I  want  to  see 
all  the  things  that  I  have  read  about  in  my  books.     I  want 


The  Little  Savage  129 

to  go  to  England  and  look  for  somebody ;  but  you  don't 
know  all  that  I  know  ;  some  day  I  will  tell  you  all — 
everything.  I  am  so  tired  of  living  here  by  myself — 
nothing  to  say — no  one  to  talk  to — no  one  to  care  for, 
except  Nero,  and  he  can't  speak.  I  can't  bear  the  idea  of 
parting  with  him  though." 

'*  Would  you  rather  stay  on  the  island  with  Nero,  than 
go  away  without  him  ?  " 

*'  No,"  replied  I ;  "  go  I  must,  but  still  I  do  not  like  to 
part  with  him.  He  is  the  only  friend  that  I  ever  had,  that 
I  can  remember." 

''When  you  have  lived  longer,  and  mixed  more  with 
the  world,  my  poor  boy,  you  will  then  find  how  many 
sacrifices  you  will  be  obliged  to  make,  much  more  serious 
than  parting  with  an  animal  that  you  are  attached  to. 
I  suppose  you  expect  to  be  very  happy  if  ever  you  get 
back  to  England  .?  " 

"  Of  course  I  do  ;  why  should  I  not  be  .? "  replied  I ; 
"  I  shall  be  always  happy," 

The  Missionary's  wife  shook  her  head.  "  I  fear  not. 
Indeed,  I  think  if  you  Hve  long  enough,  you  will  acknow- 
ledge that  the  happiest  of  your  days  were  passed  on  this 
barren  rock." 

"Jackson  said  otherwise,"  replied  I.  "He  was  always 
grieving  at  being  on  the  island,  and  not  able  to  get  back 
to  England,  and  he  told  me  so  many  stories  about  England, 
and  what  is  done  there,  and  what  a  beautiful  place  it  is, 
that  I'm  sure  I  shall  like  it  better  than  being  here,  even 
if  I  had  somebody  with  me." 

"  Well,  you  are  in  the  hands  of  God,  and  you  must  put 
your  trust  in  him.  He  will  do  with  you  as  he  thinks  best 
for  you — that  you  know,  as  you  read  your  Bible." 

"  No,  I  didn't  know  that,"  replied  I.  "  God  lives 
beyond  the  stars,  a  long  way  off." 

"  Is  that  all  you  have  gained  by  reading  your  Bible  ?  " 
inquired  she,  looking  me  in  the  face. 

"  No,  not  all,"  replied  I ;  "  but  I  do  not  understand  a 
great  deal  that  I  read,  I  want  some  one  to  tell  me.     I  am 

L.S.  I 


130  The  Little  Savage 

so  glad  you  came  with  the  men  in  the  boat,  for  I  never 
saw  a  woman  before.  I  used  to  see  somebody  in  my 
dreams,  and  now  I  know  it  was  a  woman.  It  was  my 
mother,  but  I  have  not  seen  her  for  a  long  while  now,  and 
I  have  nobody  but  Nero." 

*'  My  poor  boy,  you  have  a  father  in  heaven." 

"  Yes,"  replied  I ;  "  I  know  he  is  in  heaven,  and  so  is 
my  mother,  for  Jackson  said  that  they  were  both  very 
good." 

"  I  mean  your  Heavenly  Father,  God.  Do  you  not  say 
in  the  Lord's  Prayer,  *  Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven.' 
You  must  love  him." 

I  was  about  to  reply,  when  John  Gough,  the  mate, 
came  up,  and  told  my  companion  that  he  had  been  speaking 
to  the  men,  and  they  had  agreed  that  the  day  after  the 
next  they  would,  if  the  weather  permitted,  leave  the 
island  ;  that  they  had  examined  the  boat,  and  found  it 
required  very  little  repair,  and  that  all  would  be  ready  the 
next  day. 

*'I  hope  that  they  will  not  overload  the  boat,"  said 
she. 

"  I  fear  that  they  will,  but  I  must  do  all  I  can  to  pre- 
vent it.  The  cask  of  rum  was  rather  an  unfortunate 
discovery,  and  we  had  been  better  without  it.  Leave  it 
they  will  not,  so  we  must  put  out  of  the  boat  all  that  we 
can  possibly  do  without,  for  we  shall  be  nine  of  us,  and 
that  will  be  plenty  of  weight  with  the  addition  of  the 
cask." 

"  You  promised  to  take  my  chest,  you  remember," 
said  L 

"  Yes,  I  will  do  so  if  I  possibly  can ;  but  recollect,  I 
may  not  be  able  to  keep  my  promise — for  now  that  they 
have  the  liquor,  the  men  do  not  obey  me  as  they  did 
before,  ma'am,"  said  the  mate.  "  Perhaps  he  had  better 
take  the  best  of  his  clothes  in  a  bundle,  in  case  they  should 
refuse  to  take  in  the  chest ;  and  I  must  say  that,  loaded  as 
the  boat  will  be,  they  will  be  much  to  blame  if  they  do  not 
refuse,  for  the  boat  is  but  small  for  stowage,  and  there's 


The  Little  Savage  131 

all  the  provisions  to  put  in  her,  which  will  take  up  a  deal 
of  room." 

"  That  is  very  true,"  replied  the  woman.  **  It  will  be 
better  to  leave  the  chest  here,  for  I  do  not  think  that  the 
boat  will  hold  it.  You  must  not  mind  your  chest,  my 
good  boy  ;  it  is  of  no  great  value." 

"  They  take  my  rum  and  all  my  birds,  and  they  ought 
to  take  both  me  and  my  chest." 

"  Not  if  it  takes  up  too  much  room,"  replied  the  woman. 
**  You  cannot  expect  it.  The  wishes  of  one  person  must 
give  way  to  the  wishes  of  many." 

"Why  they  would  have  starved  if  it  had  not  been  for 
me,"  replied  I,  angrily. 

**  That's  very  true,  boy,"  replied  the  mate  ;  "  but  you 
have  to  learn  yet,  that  might  is  right ;  and  recollect  that 
what  you  did  this  morning  has  not  made  you  any  great 
favourite  with  them." 

"  What  was  that  ?  "  inquired  my  companion. 

"  Only  that  he  nearly  drove  his  knife  through  one  of 
the  men,  that's  all,"  replied  the  mate  ;  "  English  sailors 
ar'n't  fond  of  knives." 

He  then  touched  his  hat,  and  went  down  again  to  the 
pool,  desiring  me  to  follow  him  with  a  kid  for  our  share 
of  the  supper.  I  did  so,  and  on  my  return  she  asked  me 
why  I  had  drawn  my  knife  upon  the  seaman,  and  I  narrated 
how  it  occurred.  She  pointed  out  to  me  the  impropriety 
of  what  I  had  done,  asking  me  whether  the  Bible  did  not 
tell  us  we  were  to  forgive  injuries. 

"  Yes,"  replied  I ;  "  but  is  it  not  injuries  to  ourselves  ? 
I  did  forgive  Jackson  j  but  this  was  to  prevent  his  hurting 
another." 

"  Another  !  why  you  talk  of  Nero  as  if  the  animal  was 
a  rational  being,  and  his  life  of  as  much  consequence  as 
that  of  a  fellow-creature.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  but  that 
the  man  was  very  wrong,  and  that  you  must  have  felt 
angry  if  an  animal  you  were  so  fond  of  had  been  killed ; 
but  there  is  a  great  difference  between  the  life  of  an 
animal  and  that  of  a  fellow-creature.     The  animal   dies, 


132  The  Little  Savage 

and  there  is  an  end  of  it ;  but  a  man  has  an  immortal  soul, 
which  never  perishes,  and  nothing  can  excuse  your  taking 
the  life  of  a  man,  except  in  self-defence.  Does  not  the 
commandment  say,  *  Thou  shalt  not  kill  ?  *  " 

She  then  talked  to  me  a  long  while  upon  the  subject, 
and  fully  made  me  understand  that  I  had  been  very  wrong, 
and  I  confessed  that  I  had  been  so. 


Chapter  XXII 

I  NOW  resolved  to  speak  to  her  relative  to  the  belt  which 
contained  the  diamonds  ;  and  I  was  first  obliged  to  narrate 
to  her  in  a  few  words  what  Jackson  had  told  me.  She 
heard  me  with  great  interest,  now  and  then  asking  a 
question.     When  I  had  told  her  all,  I  said — 

**  Now,  as  they  talk  of  not  taking  my  chest,  what  shall  I 
do  ?  Shall  I  wear  the  belt  myself,  or  shall  I  put  it  in  the 
bundle  ?  or  will  you  wear  it  for  me,  as  my  mother  would 
have  done,  if  she  had  been  alive  ? " 

She  did  not  reply  for  some  time,  at  last  she  said,  as  if 
talking  to  herself,  and  not  to  me — 

**  How  unsearchable  are  thy  ways,  O  God  !  " 

Indeed,  although  I  did  not  feel  it  at  the  time,  I  have 
afterwards  thought,  and  she  told  me  herself,  how  great 
her  surprise  was  at  finding  in  the  unshorn  little  Savage, 
thus  living  alone  upon  a  desolate  rock,  a  lad  of  good  birth, 
and  although  he  did  not  know  it,  with  a  fortune  in  his 
charge,  which  would,  in  all  probability,  be  ultimately 
his  own.  This  is  certain,  that  the  interest  she  felt 
towards  me  increased  every  hour,  as  by  degrees  I  dis- 
closed my  history. 

**  Well,"  replied  she,  "if  you  will  trust  me,  I  will  take 
charge  of  your  belt.  To-morrow  we  will  select  out  of 
the  chest  what  will  be  best  to  take  with  you,  and  then  we 
will  arrange  as  you  wish." 

After  about  an  hour's  more  conversation,  she  went  into 


The  Little  Savage  133 

the  cabin,  and  retired  behind  the  screen  which  had  been 
fixed  up,  telling  me  that  she  did  not  mind  Nero,  and  that 
I  might  go  to  bed  when  I  pleased.  As  I  was  not  much 
inclined  to  go  down  to  the  seamen,  I  followed  her  advice 
and  went  to  bed ;  but  I  could  not  sleep  for  a  long  time 
from  the  noise  which  the  men  made,  who  were  carousing 
at  the  bathing-pool.  The  idea  of  parting  with  Nero  also 
lay  heavy  upon  my  heart,  though  the  woman  had  almost 
satisfied  me  that  as  soon  as  I  was  gone,  the  animal  would 
resume  its  natural  habits,  and  care  nothing  for  me. 

I  was  up  the  next  morning  early,  and  went  down  with 
Nero  to  obtain  the  fish  which  we  required.  I  left  some  on 
the  rocks  for  the  seamen's  breakfast  (for  they  were  all  sound 
asleep),  and  then  returned  to  the  cabin,  and  prepared  for 
our  own.  Mrs  Reichardt,  as  I  shall  now  call  her,  soon 
came  out  to  me,  and  when  breakfast  was  over,  proposed 
that  we  should  plant  the  remainder  of  the  potatoes  before 
we  packed  up  the  things  in  the  chest.  As  soon  as  they 
were  all  cut,  we  set  off  to  the  ravine,  and  had  finished 
our  task  before  noon,  at  which  time  there  were  but  few 
of  the  seamen  stirring,  they  had  remained  up  so  long  the 
night  before,  drinking.  The  mate  was  one  of  those  who 
were  on  their  legs,  and  he  asked  me  if  I  thought  we 
should  have  smooth  water  to  launch  the  boat  on  the 
following  day.  I  replied  in  the  affirmative,  and  went 
with  Mrs  Reichardt  to  the  cabin,  and  putting  down  the 
shovel,  I  hauled  my  chest  out  on  the  platform  to  select 
what  articles  I  should  take. 

While  we  were  thus  employed,  and  talking  at  times, 
the  men  came  up  for  the  dried  birds  to  take  down  ready 
for  putting  them  in  the  boat  on  the  following  day,  and 
in  two  trips  they  had  cleared  out  the  whole  of  them. 

"  Have  you  used  all  the  potatoes  you  brought  up  ? " 
said  one  of  the  men;  **for  we  shall  be  short  of 
provisions." 

Mrs  Reichardt  replied  that  we  had  none  left. 

"  Well  then,"  said  the  man,  "  the  mate  says  you  had 
better  bring  down  that  brute  of  yours  to  catch  the  rest 


134  The  Little  Savage 

of  the  fish  in  the  pond,  that  we  may  cook  them  before 
we  start,  as  they  will  make  two  days'  meals  at  least." 

"  Very  well,"  replied  I ;  "I  will  come  down  directly." 
I  did  so,  and  Nero,  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  had  landed 
all  the  fish,  and  I  then  returned  with  him  to  the  cabin. 
Mrs  R.  had  selected  the  best  of  the  clothes,  and  made 
them  up  in  a  tight  bundle,  which  she  sewed  up  with 
strong  thread.  My  books  she  had  left  out,  as  well  as 
the  spy-glass,  and  the  tools  I  had,  as  they  might  be 
useful.  I  asked  her  whether  I  should  carry  them  down 
to  the  bathing-pool,  but  she  replied  that  on  the  morning 
when  we  embarked  would  be  quite  time  enough.  I  then 
went  to  the  hole  under  Jackson's  bed-place,  and  brought  out 
the  belt  and  the  few  articles  that  were  with  it.  Mrs  R., 
after  having  examined  them,  said  that  she  would  take 
care  of  them  all ;  the  watch  and  other  trinkets  she  put 
in  her  basket,  the  belt  she  took  to  the  bed-place,  and 
secreted  it. 

She  appeared  very  silent  and  thoughtful,  and  on  my 
asking  her  whether  I  should  not  take  down  the  shovel, 
and  the  pail,  and  hammer,  she  replied,  "  No,  leave  all 
till  we  are  ready  to  go  to  the  boat.  It  will  be  time 
enough." 

Shortly  afterwards,  the  mate  brought  us  up  some  of 
the  fish  which  they  had  cooked  for  supper,  and  when 
we  had  eaten  it  we  went  to  bed. 

"This  is  the  last  night  we  shall  sleep  together,  Nero," 
said  I,  kissing  my  favourite,  and  the  thought  brought 
tears  into  my  eyes.  "  But  it  can't  be  helped."  I  was 
however  soon  fast  asleep  with  my  arm  round  the  animal. 

When  I  went  out  the  next  morning,  I  found  that  the 
weather  was  beautifully  fine,  the  water  smooth,  and  only 
rippled  by  a  Hght  breeze.  As  Mrs  R.  had  not  yet  made 
her  appearance,  I  went  down  to  the  bathing-pool,  where 
I  found  all  the  men  up  and  in  full  activity.  The  boat 
had  been  emptied  out,  the  oars,  masts,  and  sails,  were 
on  the  rocks ;  and  the  men  were  turning  the  bows  to 
the  seaward  in  readiness  for  launching  her  over  the  ledge 


The  Little  Savage  135 

of  rocks.  The  dried  birds  lay  in  a  heap  by  the  side  of 
the  cask  of  rum,  and  the  fish  which  had  been  baked 
were  in  a  large  kid.  The  six  breakers  were  also  piled 
up  together,  and  the  mate  and  some  of  the  men  were 
disputing  as  to  how  many  of  them  should  be  filled  with 
water.  The  mate  wanted  them  all  filled ;  the  men  said 
that  three  would  be  sufficient,  as  the  boat  would  be  so 
loaded.  At  last  the  mate  gained  his  point,  and  the  men 
each  took  a  breaker,  and  went  up  to  the  cabin  for  the 
water.  I  went  with  them  to  fill  the  breakers,  and  also 
to  see  that  they  did  no  mischief,  for  they  appeared  very 
unruly  and  out  of  temper;  and  I  was  afraid  that  they 
would  hurt  Nero,  who  was  at  the  cabin,  if  I  was  not 
there  to  prevent  them ;  but  with  the  exception  of  examin- 
ing the  cabin,  and  forcing  themselves  in  upon  Mrs 
Reichardt,  they  did  nothing.  When  the  breakers  were 
full,  which  took  at  least  half  an  hour,  they  did  indeed 
try  to  catch  the  birds,  and  would  have  wrung  their  necks, 
but  the  males  flew  away,  and  the  females  I  put  into  the 
bed-place  that  was  screened  off  in  the  cabin,  and  near 
which  Mrs  Reichardt  was  sitting.  They  all  appeared 
to  have  a  great  awe  and  respect  for  this  woman,  and 
a  look  from  her  was  more  effectual  than  were  any  words 
of  the  mate. 

"  We  don't  want  you,"  said  one  of  the  men,  as  they 
went  down  to  the  bathing-pool  with  the  breakers  on 
their  shoulders.  "  Why  don't  you  keep  up  with  the 
lady  ?  You're  quite  a  lady's  man,  now  you've  white 
trousers  on." 

The  others  who  followed  him  laughed  at  this  latter 
remark. 

"  I'm  of  no  use  up  there,  at  present,"  said  I ;  "  and 
I  may  be  down  below." 

The  men  set  down  the  breakers  on  the  rocks  by  the 
pool,  and  then,  under  the  directions  of  the  mate,  prepared 
to  launch  the  boat  over  the  ledge.  The  masts  of  the 
boat  were  placed  athwartships,  under  her  keel,  for  her 
to  run  upon,  and  being  now  quite  empty,  she  was  very 


136  The  Little  Savage 

light.  She  was  what  they  call  a  whale-boat,  fitted  for 
the  whale  fishery,  pointed  at  both  ends,  and  steered  by 
an  oar ;  she  was  not  very  large,  but  held  seven  people 
comfortably,  and  she  was  remarkably  well  fitted  with 
sails  and  masts,  having  two  lugs  and  a  mizen.  As  soon 
as  they  were  all  ready,  the  men  went  to  the  side  of  the 
boat,  and  in  a  minute  she  was  launched  into  the  sea 
without  injury.  The  mate  said  to  me,  as  they  brought 
her  broadside  to  the  ledge — 

"Now,  my  lad,  we  don't  want  you  any  more;  you 
may  go  up  to  the  cabin  till  we  are  ready,  and  then  we 
will  send  for  you  and  the  lady." 

"  Oh !  but  I  can  be  of  use  here,"  replied  I ;  **  and  I 
am  of  none  up  there." 

The  mate  did  not  reply,  and  the  men  then  went  to 
the  rum  cask,  and  rolled  it  towards  the  boat ;  and  when 
they  had  it  on  the  ledge,  they  parbuckled  it,  as  they 
term  it,  into  the  boat  with  a  whale-line  that  they  happened 
to  have,  and  which  was  of  great  length.  After  the  cask 
of  rum  was  got  in  amidships,  (and  it  took  up  a  great 
deal  of  space,  reaching  from  one  gunnel  to  the  other, 
and  standing  high  above  the  thwarts)  they  went  for 
the  breakers  of  water,  which  they  put  in,  three  before 
and  three  behind  the  cask,  upon  the  floor  of  the  boat. 

"  She  will  be  too  heavy,"  said  one  of  the  men,  "  with 
so  much  water." 

"  We  can  easily  get  rid  of  it,"  replied  the  mate.  "If 
you  had  said  she  would  be  too  heavy  with  so  much  liquor 
on  board,  you  had  better  explained  the  matter ;  however, 
you  must  have  your  own  ways,  I  suppose." 

The  next  articles  that  they  brought  to  stow  away  were 
the  provisions.  The  kid  of  fish  was  put  amidships  on 
the  breakers,  and  the  dried  birds,  which  they  carried 
down  in  their  arms,  were  packed  up  neatly  in  the  stern- 
sheets.  They  were  soon  up  to  the  gunnel,  and  the  mate 
said, 

*'  You  had  better  stow  away  forward  now — there  will 
be  little  room  for  the  lady  as  it  is." 


The  Little  Savage  137 

''  No,  no,  stow  them  all  aft,"  replied  one  of  the  men,  in 
a  surly  tone  ;  **  the  lady  must  sit  where  she  can.  She's  no 
better  than  we." 

"  Shall  this  go  in  ?  "  said  I,  pointing  to  the  coil  of  whale- 
line,  and  addressing  the  mate. 

"No,  no;  we  must  leave  that,"  replied  one  of  the  men 
in  the  boat ;  "  we  shall  be  wedged  enough  as  it  is ;  and  I 
say,  Jim,  throw  that  old  saw  and  the  bag  of  nails  out  of 
the  boat — we  can  have  no  use  for  them." 

The  masts  were  then  stepped,  and  the  rigging  set  up  to 
the  gunnel  of  the  boat,  the  yards  and  sails  handed  in,  and 
hooked  on  the  halyards  ready  for  hoisting.  In  fact  the 
boat  was  now  all  ready  for  starting ;  they  had  only  the 
iron  kettle  and  two  or  three  other  articles  to  put  in. 

"  Shall  we  have  the  mizen  ?  "  inquired  one  of  the  men, 
pointing  to  the  mast,  which  lay  on  the  rocks. 

"  No,  she  steers  quite  as  well  without  it,"  replied 
the  mate.  "  We'll  leave  it.  And  now,  lads,  hand  the 
oars  in." 

They  were  brought  to  the  boat,  but  owing  to  the 
puncheon  of  rum  in  the  centre,  they  could  not  lie  flat,  and 
after  a  good  deal  of  arguing  and  disputing,  four  oars  and  a 
boat-hook  were  lashed  to  the  gunnel  outside,  and  the  rest 
w^ere  left  on  the  rocks. 

At  this  time  there  was  some  consultation  between  the 
mate  and  some  of  the  men — the  mate  being  evidently 
opposed  by  the  others.  I  could  not  hear  what  it  was 
about,  but  the  mate  appeared  very  angry  and  very  much 
annoyed.  At  last  he  dashed  his  hat  down  on  the  rocks  in 
a  great  passion,  saying, 

"  No  good  will  come  of  it.  Mark  my  words.  No 
good  ever  did  or  ever  will.  Be  it  so,  you  are  too  many 
for  me  j  but  I  tell  you  again,  no  good  will  come  of  it." 

The  mate  then  sat  down  on  the  rocks  by  himself,  and 
put  his  head  down  on  his  knees,  covering  it  with  his 
hands. 

The  man  with  whom  he  had  been  disputing  went 
to  the  others  in  the  boat,  and   spoke  to  them  in  a  low 


138  The  Little  Savage 

tone,  looking  round  at  me,  to  ascertain  if  I  was  within 
hearing. 

After  a  minute  or  two  they  all  separated,  and  then  one 
of  them  said  to  me — 

"Now,  my  lad,  we're  all  ready.  Go  up  to  the  cabin 
and  bring  down  your  bundle  and  her  basket,  and  tell  the 
lady  we  are  waiting  for  her." 

"  There's  the  shovel,"  said  I,  "  and  the  boat's  sail — must 
I  bring  them  down  ? " 

"  Oh  yes,  bring  them  down,  and  also  two  or  three  seal- 
skins for  the  lady  to  sit  upon." 

Off  I  went  on  my  errand,  for  I  was  delighted  with  the 
idea  of  leaving  the  island,  and  my  patience  had  been  almost 
exhausted  at  the  time  they  had  taken  in  the  stowage  of  the 
boat.  As  I  hastened  up  the  path,  I  heard  loud  contention, 
and  the  mate's  voice  speaking  very  angrily,  and  I  stopped 
for  a  short  time  to  listen,  but  the  noise  ceased,  and  I  went 
on  again.  I  found  Nero  on  the  platform,  and  I  stopped  a 
minute  to  caress  him.  "  Good  bye,  my  poor  Nero,  we 
shall  never  see  one  another  again,"  said  I.  "  You  must  go 
back  to  the  sea,  and  catch  fish  for  yourself;"  and  the 
tears  started  in  my  eyes  as  I  gave  the  animal  a  farewell 
kiss. 

I  then  went  into  the  cabin,  where  I  found  Mrs  Reichardt 
sitting  very  quietly. 

**  They  are  all  ready,"  said  I,  "  and  have  sent  me  up  for 
you ;  but  I  am  to  bring  down  the  boat's  sail  and  some 
seal  skins  for  you  to  sit  upon.  I  can  carry  both  if  you  can 
carry  my  bundle.     Have  you  put  the  belt  on  ? " 

"  Yes,"  replied  she,  **I  am  quite  ready.  I  will  carry 
the  bundle,  and  the  books  and  spy-glass,  as  well  as  my 
basket ;  but  we  must  pack  them  close,"  added  she,  "  and 
roll  the  sail  up  round  the  yard,  or  you  will  not  be  able  to 
carry  it." 

We  took  the  sail  down,  and  got  it  ready  for  carrying, 
and  I  rolled  up  the  two  best  seal  skins,  and  tied  them  with 
a  piece  of  fishing  line,  and  then  we  were  all  ready.  I 
shouldered  my  burden,  and  Mrs  Reichardt  took  the  other 


The  Little  Savage  139 

articles,  as  proposed,  and  we  left  the  cabin  to  go  down  the 
path  to  the  bathing-pool. 

"  Good  bye,  Nero — good  bye,  birds — good  bye,  cabin — 
and  good  bye,  garden,"  said  I,  as  I  went  along  the  plat- 
form ;  and  having  so  done,  and  ordered  Nero  back  with 
a  tremulous  voice,  I  turned  my  head  in  the  direction  of  the 
bathing-pool.  I  stared  and  then  screamed,  dropping  my 
burden,  as  I  lifted  up  my  hands  in  amazement — 

"  Look  !  "  cried  I  to  my  companion.  "  Look  !  "  repeated 
I,  breathless. 

She  did  look,  and  saw  as  I  did — the  boat  under  all  sail, 
half  a  mile  from  the  pool,  staggering  under  a  fresh  breeze, 
which  carried  her  away  at  the  rate  of  seven  or  eight  miles 
an  hour. 

They  had  left  us — they  had  deserted  us.  I  cried  out, 
like  a  madman,  "  Stop  I  stop  !  stop  !  "  and  then,  seeing  how 
useless  it  was,  I  dashed  myself  on  the  rock,  and  for  a 
minute  or  two  was  insensible. 

"  Oh  !  "  groaned  I,  at  last,  as  I  came  to  my  senses. 

**  Frank  Henniker,"  said  a  sweet  firm  voice. 

I  opened  my  eyes,  and  saw  Mrs  Reichardt  standing  by 
me. 

"It  is  the  will  of  Heaven,  and  you  must  submit  to  it 
patiently,"  continued  she. 

**  But  so  cruel,  so  treacherous  !  "  replied  I,  looking  at 
the  fast-receding  boat. 

**  I  grant,  most  cruel,  and  most  treacherous,  but  we 
must  leave  them  to  the  judgment  of  God.  What  can  they 
expect  from  him  in  the  way  of  mercy  when  they  have 
shewn  none  ?  I  tell  you  candidly,  that  I  think  we  are 
better  in  our  present  forlorn  state  upon  this  rock,  than  if 
in  that  boat.  They  have  taken  with  them  the  seeds  of 
discord,  of  recklessness,  and  intemperance,  in  an  attempt 
which  requires  the  greatest  prudence,  calmness,  and  un- 
animity, and  I  fear  there  is  little  chance  of  their  ever  being 
rescued  from  their  dangerous  position.  It  is  my  opinion, 
and  I  thought  so  when  I  first  knew  they  had  found  the 
cask,  that  liquor  would  prove  their  ruin,  and  I  say  again, 


I40  The  Little  Savage 

that  boat  will  never  arrive  at  its  destination,  and  they  will 
all  perish  miserably.  It  has  pleased  God  that  they  should 
leave  us  here,  and  depend  upon  it,  it  has  been  so  decided 
for  the  best." 

"  But,"  replied  I,  looking  again  at  the  boat,  "  I  was 
tired  of  being  here — I  was  so  anxious  to  get  off — and  now 
to  be  left !  And  they  have  taken  all  our  provisions,  every- 
thing, even  the  fish  in  the  pool.     We  shall  starve." 

*'  I  hope  not,"  replied  she,  "  and  I  think  not ;  but  we 
must  exert  ourselves,  and  trust  to  Heaven." 

But  I  could  not  heed  her — my  heart  was  bursting.  I 
sobbed,  as  I  sat  with  my  hands  covering  up  my  face. 

"  All  gone  !  "  cried  I.     "  No  one  left  but  you  and  I." 

"  Yes,"  replied  she,  "  one  more." 

"  Who  ?  "  cried  I,  looking  up. 

**  God  I — who  is  with  us  always." 


Chapter  XXIII 

I  HEARD  what  she  said,  but  my  head  was  too  confused  to 
weigh  the  words.  I  remained  silent,  where  I  was.  A  few 
seconds  elapsed,  and  she  spoke  again  : 

"  Frank  Henniker,  rise,  and  listen  to  me." 

*'  We  shall  starve,"  muttered  I. 

As  I  said  this,  one  of  the  male  birds  returned  from  the 
sea  with  a  large  fish,  of  which  Mrs  Reichardt  took 
possession,  as  she  had  seen  me  do,  and  the  gannet  flew 
away  again  to  obtain  more.  Immediately  afterwards,  the 
other  two  birds  returned  with  fish,  which  were  in  a  like 
way  secured  by  my  companion. 

"  See  how  unjust  and  ungrateful  you  are,"  observed  she. 
"  Here  are  the  birds  feeding  us,  as  the  ravens  did  Elijah  in 
the  wilderness,  at  the  very  time  that  you  are  doubting 
the  goodness  and  mercy  of  God.  There  is  a  meal  for  us 
provided  already." 

**  My  head  !  my  head  !  "  exclaimed  I,  "it  is  bursting, 


The  Little  Savage  141 

and  there  is  a  heavy  weight  rolling  in  it — I  cannot  see 
anything." 

And  such  was  the  fact  :  the  excitement  had  brought  on 
a  determination  of  blood  to  the  head,  and  my  senses  were 
rapidly  departing.  Mrs  Reichardt  knelt  by  my  side,  and 
perceiving  that  what  I  had  said  was  the  case,  went  into  the 
cabin  and  brought  out  a  cloth,  which  she  wetted  with 
water  from  the  spring,  and  laid  across  my  forehead  and 
temples.  I  remained  motionless  and  nearly  senseless  for 
half  an  hour,  during  which  she  continued  to  apply  fresh 
cold  water  to  the  cloth,  and  by  degrees  I  recovered  from 
my  stupor.  In  the  meantime,  the  weather  being  so  fine 
and  the  water  smooth,  the  gannets  continued  to  return 
with  the  fish  they  caught,  almost  all  of  which  were  taken 
from  them  by  my  companion,  until  she  had  collected  more 
than  a  dozen  fish,  from  half  a  pound  to  a  pound  weight, 
which  she  put  away,  so  that  the  birds  and  seal  might  not 
devour  them. 

I  was  still  in  a  half  dozing  state,  when  the  breathing  and 
cold  nose  of  Nero  touched  my  cheek,  and  the  murmur- 
ings  of  my  favourite  roused  me  up,  and  I  opened  my 
eyes. 

"  I  am  better  now,"  said  I  to  Mrs  Reichardt.  "  How 
kind  you  have  been  !  " 

"  Yes,  you  are  better,  but  still,  you  must  remain  quiet. 
Do  you  think  that  you  could  walk  to  your  bed-place  ? " 

'*  I'll  try,"  replied  I,  and  with  her  assistance  I  rose  up ; 
but,  when  I  afterwards  gained  my  feet,  I  should  have  fallen 
if  she  had  not  supported  me ;  but,  assisted  by  her,  I  gained 
my  bed  and  sank  down  again. 

She  raised  my  head  higher,  and  then  applied  the  linen 
cloth  and  cold  water  as  before. 

*'  Try  now,"  said  she,  "  if  you  cannot  go  to  sleep. 
When  you  awake  again,  I  will  have  some  dinner  ready 
for  you." 

I  thanked  her  and  shut  my  eyes.  Nero  crawled  to  my 
bed-place,  and  with  my  hand  upon  his  head,  I  fell  asleep, 
and  remained  so  till  near  sunset,  when  I  awoke  with  very 


142  The  Little  Savage 

little  pain  in  my  head,  and  much  refreshed.  I  found  Mrs 
Reichardt  by  my  side. 

"  You  are  better  now,"  said  she.  "  Can  you  eat  any 
dinner  ?  I  must  make  friends  with  Nero,  for  he  has  been 
disputing  my  right  to  come  near  your  bedside,  and  his 
teeth  are  rather  formidable.  However,  I  gave  him  the 
inside  of  the  fish  when  I  cleaned  them,  and  we  are  better 
friends  already.     There  is  your  dinner." 

Mrs  Reichardt  placed  before  me  some  of  the  fish, 
broiled  on  the  embers,  and  I  ate  very  heartily. 

"It  is  very  kind  of  you,"  said  I,  "to  be  working  for 
me,  when  I  ought  to  be  working  for  you — but  you  must 
not  do  it  again." 

"  Only  my  share  of  the  work  when  you  are  well," 
replied  she ;  "but  my  share  I  always  shall  do.  I  cannot 
be  idle,  and  I  am  strong  enough  to  do  a  great  deal ;  but 
we  will  talk  about  that  to-morrow  morning.  You  will  be 
quite  well  by  that  time,  I  hope." 

"  Oh !  I  feel  well  now,"  replied  I,  "  only  I  am  very 
weak." 

"  You  must  put  your  trust  in  God,  my  poor  boy.  Do 
you  ever  pray  to  him  ?  '* 

"  Yes,  I  try  a  little  sometimes — but  I  don't  know  how. 
Jackson  never  taught  me  that." 

"  Then  I  will.     Shall  I  pray  now  for  both  of  us  ? " 

"Will  God  hear  you  ?  What  was  it  that  you  said  just 
before  I  forgot  everything  this  morning  ?  " 

"I  told  you  that  there  was  another  here  besides  our- 
selves, a  good  and  gracious  God,  who  is  always  with  us 
and  always  ready  to  come  to  our  assistance  if  we  call  upon 
him." 

"  You  told  me  God  lived  beyond  the  stars." 

"  My  poor  boy,  as  if  he  were  a  God  who  was  afar 
off  and  did  not  attend  to  our  prayers  !  Such  is  not  the 
case.  He  is  with  us  always  in  spirit,  listening  to  all  our 
prayers,  and  reading  every  secret  thought  of  our  hearts." 

I  was  silent  for  some  time,  thinking  upon  what  she  had 
told  me  :  at  last  I  said — 


The  Little  Savage  143 

**  Then  pray  to  him." 

Mrs  Reichardt  knelt  down  and  prayed  in  a  clear  and 
fervent  voice,  without  hesitation  or  stop.  She  prayed  for 
protection  and  support  in  our  desolate  condition,  that  we 
might  be  supplied  with  all  things  needful  for  our  susten- 
ance, and  have  a  happy  deliverance  from  our  present 
position.  She  prayed  that  we  might  be  contented  and 
resigned  until  it  should  please  him  to  rescue  us — that  we 
might  put  our  whole  trust  and  confidence  in  him,  and 
submit  without  murmuring  to  whatever  might  be  his  will. 
She  prayed  for  health  and  strength,  for  an  increase  of  faith 
and  gratitude  towards  him  for  all  his  mercies.  She 
thanked  him  for  our  having  been  preserved  by  being  left 
on  the  desolate  rock,  instead  of  having  left  it  in  the  boat 
with  the  seamen.  (This  surprised  me.)  And  then  she 
prayed  for  me,  entreating  that  she  might  be  the  humble 
instrument  of  leading  me  to  my  Heavenly  Father,  and  that 
he  would  be  pleased  to  pour  down  upon  me  his  Holy 
Spirit,  so  that  I  might,  by  faith  in  Christ,  be  accepted,  and 
become  a  child  of  God  and  an  inheritor  of  eternal  bliss. 

There  was  something  so  novel  to  me  and  so  beautiful  in 
her  fervency  of  prayer,  that  the  tears  came  into  my  eyes, 
and  about  a  minute  after  she  had  finished,  I  said — 

"  I  now  recollect,  at  least,  I  think  I  do — for  the  memory 
of  it  is  very  confused — that  my  mother  used  to  kneel  down 
by  me  and  pray  just  as  you  have  done.  Oh,  how  I  wish 
I  had  a  mother !  " 

**  My  child,"  replied  she,  *'  promise  me  that  you  will  be 
a  good  and  obedient  son,  and  I  will  be  a  mother  to 
you." 

"Will  you?  Oh!  how  kind  of  you.  Yes,  I  will  be 
all  you  wish  •,  I  will  work  for  you  day  and  night  if  it  is 
necessary.  I  will  do  everything,  if  you  will  but  be  my 
mother." 

"I  will  do  my  duty  to  you  as  a  mother  most  strictly," 
replied  she ;  "so  that  is  agreed  upon.  Now,  you  had 
better  go  to  sleep,  if  you  can." 

"But  I  must  first  ask  you  a  question.     Why  did  you 


144  The  Little  Savage 

thank  God  for  the  seamen  having  left  us  here,  instead  of 
taking  us  with  them  ? " 

''Because  the  boat  was  overloaded  as  it  was;  because 
the  men,  having  liquor,  would  become  careless  and 
desperate,  and  submit  to  no  control ;  and  therefore  I  think 
there  is  little  or  no  chance  of  their  ever  arriving  anywhere 
safe,  but  that  they  will  perish  miserably  in  some  way  or 
another.  This,  I  consider,  is  the  probability,  unless  the 
Almighty  in  his  mercy  should  be  pleased  to  come  to  their 
assistance,  and  allow  them  to  fall  in  with  some  vessel  soon 
after  their  departure." 

"  Do  you  think,  then,  that  God  prevented  our  going 
with  them  on  purpose  that  we  might  not  share  their  fate  r  " 

"  I  do  !  God  regulates  everything.  Had  it  been  better 
for  us  that  we  should  have  gone,  he  would  have  permitted 
it ;  but  he  willed  it  otherwise,  and  we  must  bow  to  his 
will  with  a  full  faith,  that  he  orders  everything  for  the 
best." 

"  And  you  say  that  God  will  give  us  all  that  we  ask  for 
in  our  prayers  ? " 

"  Yes,  if  we  pray  fervently  and  in  faith,  and  ask  it  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ ;  that  is,  he  will  grant  all  we 
pray  for,  that  is  good  for  us,  but  not  what  is  not  good  for 
us ;  or  when  we  ask  anything,  we  do  not  know  that  we 
are  asking  what  is  proper  or  not — but  he  does.  We  may 
ask  what  would  be  hurtful  to  us,  and  then,  in  his  love  for 
us,  he  denies  it.  For  instance,  suppose  you  had  been 
accustomed  to  pray,  you  must  have  prayed  God  that  he 
would  permit  you  to  leave  this  island  in  the  boat,  as  you 
are  so  anxious  to  go  away ;  but  supposing  that  boat  is 
lost,  as  I  imagine  it  will  be,  surely  it  would  have  been  a 
kindness  in  God,  who  knew  that  it  would  be  lost,  not  to 
grant  your  prayer.     Is  it  not  so  ?  " 

**  Yes,  I  see  now,  thank  you  ;  now  I  will  go  to  sleep — 
good-night." 


The  Little  Savage  145 

Chapter  XXIV 

I  AWOKE  the  next  morning  quite  recovered  from  my  illness 
of  the  day  before,  and  was  out  of  the  cabin  before  Mrs 
Reichardt,  who  still  remained  behind  the  screen  which  she 
had  put  up  after  I  had  gone  to  sleep.  It  was  a  beautiful 
morning,  the  water  was  smooth,  and  merely  rippled  with 
a  light  breeze,  and  the  sun  shone  bright.  I  felt  well  and 
happy.  I  lighted  a  fire  to  broil  the  fish  for  breakfast,  as 
there  was  a  sufficiency  left,  and  then  got  my  fishing-lines 
ready  to  catch  some  larger  fish  to  reinhabit  my  pond  at 
the  bathing  pool.  Mrs  Reichardt  came  out  of  the  cabin 
and  found  me  playing  with  Nero. 

"  Good  morning,  dear  mother,"  said  I,  for  I  felt  most 
kindly  towards  her. 

"  Good  morning,  my  dear  boy,"  replied  she.  "  Are 
you  quite  well  ? " 

**  Quite  well;  and  I  have  got  my  lines  all  ready,  for  I 
have  been  thinking  that  until  the  birds  come,  we  must 
live  on  fish  altogether,  and  we  can  only  take  them  in 
fine  weather  like  this ;  so  we  must  not  lose  such  a 
day." 

"  Certainly  not.  As  soon  as  we  have  breakfasted,  we 
will  go  down  and  fish.  I  can  fish  very  well,  I  am  used 
to  it.  We  must  both  work  now ;  but  first  go  for  your 
Bible,  that  we  may  read  a  little." 

I  did  so,  and  after  she  had  read  a  chapter  she  prayed, 
and  I  knelt  by  her  side ;  then  we  breakfasted,  and  as 
soon  as  we  had  breakfasted,  we  set  off  to  the  bathing- 
pool. 

"  Do  you  know  if  they  left  anything  behind  them, 
Frank  ? " 

**  Yes,"  replied  I,  "they  left  some  oars,  I  believe,  and 
a  long  line  and  we  have  the  shovel,  and  the  hammer,  and 
the  boat's  small  sail,  up  at  the  cabin." 

**  Well,  we  shall  see  very  soon,"  replied  she,  as  we 
went  down  the  path. 

L.S.  K 


146  The  Little  Savage 

When  we  arrived  at  the  bathing-pool,  the  first  thing 
that  met  my  eyes  made  me  leap  with  joy.  "  Oh  !  mother  ! 
mother !  they've  left  the  iron  pot ;  I  did  so  long  for  it ; 
and  as  I  lay  awake  this  morning,  I  thought  that  if  I 
prayed  for  anything,  it  would  be  for  the  iron  pot.  I  was 
tired  of  dried  birds,  and  they  ate  so  different  when  they 
were  boiled  up  in  the  pot  with  potatoes." 

"I  am  equally  glad,  Frank,  for  I  do  not  like  victuals 
uncooked ;  but  now  let  us  first  see  what  else  they  have 
thrown  out  of  the  boat." 

"  Why  they  have  put  on  shore  three  of  the  little  casks 
of  water,"  said  I ,  "  they  took  them  all  on  board." 

"  They  have  so,  I  suppose,  because  the  boat  was  too 
heavy,  and  they  would  not  part  with  the  liquor.  Foolish 
men,  they  will  now  not  have  more  than  six  days'  water, 
and  will  suffer  dreadfully." 

We  then  looked  round  the  rocks  and  found  that  they 
had  left  the  iron  kettle,  three  breakers,  five  oars,  and  a 
harpoon  and  staffs  ;  a  gang-board,  a  whale  line  of  200 
fathoms,  an  old  saw,  a  bag  of  broad-headed  nails,  and  two 
large  pieces  of  sheet-iron. 

**  That  saw  may  be  very  useful  to  us,"  said  Mrs 
Reichardt,  "  especially  as  you  have  files  in  your  chest. 
Indeed,  if  we  want  them,  we  may  convert  one-half  of  the 
saw  into  knives." 

"  Into  knives  !     How  ? " 

"  I  will  shew  you ;  and  these  pieces  of  sheet-iron  I 
could  use  again.  You  see  the  sheet-iron  was  put  on  to 
repair  any  hole  which  might  be  made  in  the  boat,  and 
they  have  thrown  it  out,  as  well  as  the  hammer  and  nails. 
I  wonder  at  John  Gough  permitting  it." 

"  I  heard  them  quarrelling  with  him  as  I  came  out 
yesterday  to  fetch  you  down ;  they  would  not  mind  what 
he  said." 

"  No,  or  we  should  not  have  been  left  here,"  replied 
she  ;  "  John  Gough  was  too  good  a  man  to  have  allowed 
it,  if  he  could  have  prevented  it.  That  sheet-iron  will 
be  very  useful.     Do  you  know  what  for  ?  to  broil  fish 


The  Little  Savage  147 

on,  or  anything  else.  We  must  turn  up  the  corners 
with  the  hammer.  But  now  we  must  lose  no  more  time, 
but  fish  all  day  long,  and  not  think  of  eating  till  supper 
time." 

Accordingly  we  threw  out  our  lines,  and  the  fish  taking 
the  bait  freely,  we  soon  hauled  in  more  than  a  dozen 
large  fish,  which  I  put  into  the  bathing-pool. 

"  What  use  can  we  make  of  that  long  line  which  they 
have  left?" 

"  A  good  many ;  but  the  best  use  we  can  make  of  it, 
is  to  turn  it  into  fishing-lines,  when  we  require  new 
ones." 

"  But  how  can  we  do  that,  it  is  so  thick  and  heavy  ? " 

"  Yes,  but  I  will  show  you  how  to  unlay  it,  and  then 
make  it  up  again.  Recollect,  Frank,  that  I  have  been 
the  wife  of  a  Missionary,  and  have  followed  my  husband 
wherever  he  went  ;  sometimes  we  have  been  well  off, 
sometimes  as  badly  off  as  you  and  I  are  now — for  a 
Missionary  has  to  go  through  great  dangers,  and  great 
hardships,  as  you  would  acknowledge  if  you  ever  heard 
my  life,  or  rather  that  of  my  husband." 

**  Won't  you  tell  it  to  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,  perhaps  I  will,  some  day  or  another ;  but  what 
I  wish  to  point  out  to  you  now  is,  that  being  his  wife, 
and  sharing  his  danger  and  privation,  I  have  been  often 
obliged  to  work  hard  and  to  obtain  my  living  as  I  could. 
In  England,  women  do  little  except  in  the  house,  but  a 
Missionary's  wife  is  obliged  to  work  with  the  men,  and 
as  a  man  very  often,  and  therefore  learns  to  do  many 
things  of  which  women  in  general  are  ignorant.  You 
understand  now  ? " 

**  Oh  yes.  I  have  thought  already  that  you  appear  to 
know  more  than  Jackson  did." 

'*  I  should  think  not ;  but  Jackson  was  not  fond  of 
work  I  expect,  and  I  am.  And  now,  Frank,  you  little 
thought  that  when  you  so  tardily  went  to  work  the  other 
day  to  plant  potatoes  for  the  benefit  of  any  one  that 
might  hereafter  come  to  the  island,  that  you  were  planting 


148  The  Little  Savage 

for  yourself,  and  would  reap  the  benefit  of  your  own 
kind  act ;  for  if  you  had  not  assisted,  of  course  I  could 
not  have  done  it  by  myself:  so  true  it  is,  that  even  in 
this  world  you  are  very  often  rewarded  for  a  good 
action." 

**  But  are  not  you  always  ? " 

"  No,  my  child,  you  must  not  expect  that ;  but  if  not 
rewarded  in  this  world,  you  will  be  rewarded  in  the 
next." 

"  I  don't  understand  that." 

"  I  suppose  that  you  hardly  can,  but  I  will  explain  all 
that  to  you,  if  God  spare  my  life  ;  but  it  must  be  at  a 
more  seasonable  time." 

We  continued  fishing  till  late  in  the  afternoon,  by 
which  time  we  had  taken  twenty-eight  large  fish,  about 
seven  to  nine  pounds'  weight ;  Mrs  Reichardt  then  pro- 
posed that  we  should  leave  off,  as  we  had  already  pro- 
vision for  a  fortnight. 

I  hauled  out  one  more  fish,  which  she  took  with  her  to 
cook  for  our  supper,  and  having  coiled  up  my  lines,  I  then 
commenced,  as  she  had  told  me  to  do,  carrying  up  the 
articles  left  by  the  boat's  crew  at  the  bathing-pool.  The 
first  thing  I  seized  upon  was  the  coveted  iron  kettle ;  I 
was  quite  overjoyed  at  the  possession  of  this  article,  and  I 
had  good  reason  to  be.  In  my  other  hand  I  carried  the 
saw  and  the  bag  of  nails.  As  soon  as  I  had  deposited 
them  at  the  cabin,  I  went  down  again,  and  before  supper 
was  ready  I  had  brought  up  everything  except  the  three 
breakers  of  water,  which  I  left  where  they  were,  as  we 
did  not  want  them  for  present  use,  whatever  we  might 
hereafter.  We  were  both  rather  tired,  and  were  glad  to 
go  to  bed  after  we  had  taken  our  supper. 


Chapter   XXV 

When  we  met  the  following  morning,  my  mother,  as  I 
shall  in  future  call  her,  said  to  me,  "  This  will  be  a  busy 


The  Little  Savage  149 

day,  Frank,  for  we  have  a  great  many  arrangements  to 
make  in  the  cabin,  so  that  we  may  be  comfortable.  In 
future  the  cabin  must  be  kept  much  more  clean  and  tidy 
than  it  is — but  that  is  my  business  more  than  yours.  Let 
us  get  our  breakfasts,  and  then  we  will  begin." 

**I  don't  know  what  you  want  me  to  do,"  replied  I; 
"  but  I  will  do  it  if  I  can,  as  soon  as  you  tell  me." 

"  My  dear  boy,  a  woman  requires  a  portion  of  the  cabin 
to  herself,  as  it  is  not  the  custom  for  women  to  live 
altogether  with  men.  Now,  what  I  wish  is,  that  the 
hinder  part  of  the  cabin,  where  you  used  to  stow  away 
your  dried  birds,  should  be  made  over  to  me.  We  have 
oars  with  which  we  can  make  a  division,  and  then  nail  up 
seal  skins,  so  that  I  may  have  that  part  of  the  cabin  to 
myself.     Now,  do  you  understand  what  I  want  ? " 

"  Yes,  but  the  oars  are  longer  than  the  cabin  is  wide," 
observed  L     **  How  shall  we  manage  it  ^  " 

**  We  have  the  old  saw,  and  that  will  do  well  enough 
to  cut  them  off,  without  its  being  sharpened." 

"  I  never  saw  one  used,"  replied  I,  **  and  I  don't  under- 
stand it." 

**  I  will  soon  show  you.  First,  we  must  measure  the 
width  of  the  cabin.  I  shall  not  take  away  more  than  one 
third  of  it." 

My  mother  went  into  the  cabin,  and  I  followed  her. 
With  a  piece  of  fishing-line,  she  took  the  width  of  the 
cabin,  and  then  the  height  up  to  the  rafters  for  the  door 
posts.  We  then  went  out,  and  with  the  saw,  which  she 
showed  me  how  to  use,  and  which  astonished  me  very 
much,  when  I  perceived  its  effects,  the  oars  were  cut  up 
to  the  proper  length.  Gimlets  I  had  already  from  the 
sea-chest,  and  nails  and  hammer  we  had  just  obtained 
from  the  boat,  so  that  before  the  forenoon  was  over,  the 
framework  was  all  ready  for  nailing  on  the  seal  skins. 
The  bag  of  broad-headed  short  nails,  which  had  been 
thrown  on  the  rocks,  were  excellent  for  this  purpose,  and, 
as  I  had  plenty  of  skins,  the  cabin  was  soon  divided  off, 
with  a  skin  between  the  door-jambs  hanging  down  loose. 


150  The  Little  Savage 

so  that  any  one  might  enter.  I  went  inside  after  it  was 
complete.  "  But,"  said  I,  "  you  have  no  light  to  see  what 
you  are  about." 

"Not  yet,  but  I  soon  will  have,"  replied  my  mother. 
**  Bring  the  saw  here,  Frank.  Observe,  you  must  cut 
through  the  side  of  the  cabin  here,  a  square  hole  of  this 
size ;  three  of  the  planks  cut  through  will  be  sufficient. 
Begin  here." 

I  did  as  she  directed  me,  and  in  the  course  of  half  an 
hour,  I  had  cut  out  of  the  south  side  of  the  cabin  a 
window  about  two  feet  square,  which  admitted  plenty  of 
light. 

"  But  won't  it  make  it  cold  at  night  ? "  said  I. 

"We  will  prevent  that,"  replied  she,  and  she  took  out 
a  piece  of  white  linen,  and  with  some  broad-headed  nails, 
she  nailed  it  up,  so  as  to  prevent  the  air  from  coming  in, 
although  there  was  still  plenty  of  light.  "There,"  said 
she,  "  that  is  but  a  coarse  job,  which  I  will  mend  bye-and- 
bye,  but  it  will  do  for  the  present." 

"Well,  it  is  very  nice  and  comfortable  now,"  said  I, 
looking  round  it.     "  Now  what  shall  I  bring  in  ?  " 

"Nothing  for  the  bed  but  seal  skins,"  said  she.  "I  do 
not  like  the  feathers.  The  seal  skins  are  stiff  at  present, 
but  I  think  we  may  be  able  to  soften  them  bye-and-bye. 
Now,  Frank,  your  chest  had  better  come  in  here,  as  it  is 
of  no  use  where  it  is,  and  we  will  make  a  storeroom  of  it, 
to  hold  all  our  valuables." 

"  What,  the  diamonds  ?  "  replied  I. 

"  My  dear  boy,  we  have  articles  to  put  into  the 
chest,  which,  in  our  present  position,  are  more 
valuable  to  us  than  all  the  diamonds  in  the  world. 
Tell  me  now,  yourself,  what  do  you  prefer  and  set 
most  value  upon,  your  belt  of  diamonds,  or  the  iron 
kettle  ? " 

"  The  iron  kettle,  to  be  sure,"  replied  I. 
"  Exactly  so  ;  and  there  are  many  things  in  our  posses- 
sion as  valuable  as  the  iron  kettle,  as  you  will  hereafter 
acknowledge.     Now  do  you  go  and  get  ready  some  fire 


The  Little  Savage  151 

for  us,  and  I  will  finish  here  by  myself.     Nero,  keep  out, 
sir — you  are  never  to  come  into  this  cabin." 

I  went  with  Nero  for  a  fish  and  when  I  returned,  I 
determined  that  I  would  use  the  iron  kettle.  I  put  it  on 
with  water  and  boiled  the  fish,  and  I  thought  that  it 
ate  better  than  broiled  on  the  embers,  which  made  it 
too  dry. 

As  we  sat  at  our  meal,  I  said,  "  Dear  mother,  what  are 
we  to  do  next  ? " 

"  To-morrow  morning  we  will  put  the  cabin  into  better 
order,  and  put  away  all  our  things  instead  of  leaving  them 
about  the  platform  in  this  way.  Then  I  will  carefully 
look  over  all  that  we  have  got,  and  put  them  away  in  the 
chest.     I  have  not  yet  seen  the  contents  of  the  chest." 

The  next  day  it  was  very  cloudy  and  rough  weather, 
blowing  fresh.  After  breakfast  we  set  to  work.  We 
cleared  out  the  floor  of  the  cabin,  which  was  strewed  with 
all  manner  of  things,  for  Jackson  and  I  had  not  been  very 
particular.  The  whale  line  was  coiled  up  and  put  into  one 
corner,  and  every  thing  else  was  brought  in  and  a  place 
found  for  it. 

**We  must  contrive  some  shelves,"  said  my  mother, 
"  that  we  may  put  things  on  them,  or  else  we  never  can 
be  tidy ;  and  we  have  not  one  except  that  which  holds  the 
books.  I  think  we  can  manage  it.  We  have  two  oars 
left  besides  the  boat's  yard  ;  we  will  nail  them  along  the 
side  of  the  cabin,  about  a  foot  or  more  from  it,  and  then 
we  will  cut  some  of  the  boat's  sail,  and  nail  the  canvas 
from  the  side  of  the  cabin  to  the  oars,  and  that  will  make 
a  sort  of  shelf  which  will  hold  our  things." 

I  brought  in  the  oars,  they  were  measured  and  cut  off 
and  nailed  up.  The  canvas  was  then  stretched  from  the 
side  of  the  cabin  to  the  oar,  and  nailed  with  the  broad- 
headed  nails,  and  made  two  capital  shelves  on  each  side  of 
the  cabin,  running  from  one  end  to  the  other. 

"  There,"  said  my  mother,  **  that  is  a  good  job.  Now 
we  will  examine  the  chest  and  put  everything  away  and 
in  its  place." 


152  The  Little  Savage 

My  mother  took  out  all  the  clothes,  and  folded  them 
up.  When  she  found  the  roil  of  duck  which  was  at  the 
bottom,  she  said — 

"  I  am  glad  to  find  this  as  I  can  make  a  dress  for  myself 
much  better  for  this  island  than  this  black  stuff  dress 
which  I  now  wear,  and  which  I  will  put  by  to  wear  in. 
case  we  should  be  taken  off  the  island  some  of  these  days, 
for  I  must  dress  like  ether  people  when  I  am  again  among 
them.  The  clothes  are  sufficient  to  last  you  for  a  long 
while,  but  I  shall  only  alter  two  shirts  and  two  pair  of 
trousers  to  your  present  size,  as  you  will  grow  very  fast. 
How  old  do  you  think  you  are  now  ?  " 

I  replied,  "  About  sixteen  years  old,  or  perhaps  more." 

**  I  should  think  that  was  about  your  age." 

Having  examined  and  folded  up  every  article  of  clothing 
in  the  chest,  the  tools,  spyglass,  Sec,  were  put  by  me  on 
the  shelves,  and  then  we  examined  the  box  containing  the 
thread,  needles,  fishhooks,  and  other  articles,  such  as 
buttons,  &c. 

"  These  are  valuable,"  said  she  j  "  I  have  some  of  my 
own  to  put  along  with  them.  Go  and  fetch  my  basket, 
I  have  not  yet  had  time  to  look  into  it  since  I  left  the 
ship." 

*'  What  is  there  in  it .?  " 

"  Except  brushes  and  combs,  I  can  hardly  say.  When 
i  travelled  about,  I  always  carried  my  basket,  containing 
those  things  most  requisite  for  daily  use,  and  in  the  basket 
I  put  everything  that  I  wished  to  preserve,  till  I  had  an 
opportunity  to  put  it  away.  When  I  embarked  on  board 
of  the  whaler,  I  brought  my  basket  on  my  arm  as  usual, 
but  except  opening  it  for  my  brushes  and  combs  or 
scissors,  I  have  not  examined  it  for  months." 

"What  are  brushes  and  combs  and  scissors  ? " 

**  That  I  will  shew  you,"  replied  she,  opening  the  lid  of 
the  basket.  "  These  are  the  brushes  and  combs  for  cleaning 
the  hair,  and  these  are  scissors.  Now  we  will  take  every- 
thing out." 

The  basket  did  indeed  appear  to  contain  a  wonderful 


The  Little  Savage  153 

quantity  of  things,  almost  all  new  to  me.  There  were 
two  brushes,  twelve  combs,  three  pair  of  scissors,  a  pen- 
knife, a  little  bottle  of  ink,  some  pens,  a  woman's  thimble, 
a  piece  of  wax,  a  case  of  needles,  thread  and  silk,  a  piece 
of  India  ink,  and  a  camel's-hair  brush,  sealing-wax, 
sticking  plaster,  a  box  of  pills,  some  tape  and  bobbin, 
paper  of  pins,  a  magnifying  glass,  silver  pencil  case,  some 
money  in  a  purse,  black  shoe  ribbon,  and  many  other 
articles  which  I  have  forgotten.  All  I  know  is  that  I 
never  was  so  much  interested  ever  after  at  any  show  as  I 
was  with  the  contents  of  this  basket,  all  of  which  were 
explained  to  me  by  my  mother,  as  to  their  uses,  and  how 
they  were  made.  There  were  several  little  papers  at  the 
bottom  of  the  basket  which  she  said  were  seeds  of  plants, 
which  she  had  collected  to  take  to  England  with  her,  and 
that  we  would  plant  them  here.  As  she  shook  the  dust 
out  of  the  basket  after  it  was  empty,  two  or  three  white 
things  tumbled  out,  which  she  asked  me  to  pick  up  and 
give  to  her. 

**  I  don't  know  how  they  came  here,"  said  she,  "but 
three  of  them  are  orange-pips  which  we  will  sow 
to-morrow,  and  the  other  is  a  pea,  but  of  what  kind  I  know 
not,  we  will  sow  that  also — but  I  fear  it  will  not  come  up, 
as  it  appears  to  me  to  be  one  of  the  peas  served  out  to  the 
sailors  on  board  ship,  and  will  be  too  old  to  grow.  We 
can  but  try.  Now  we  will  put  into  the  chest,  with  the 
other  things  that  you  have,  what  we  do  not  want  for 
present  use,  and  then  I  can  drive  a  nail  into  the  side  of  my 
bedroom  and  hang  my  basket  on  it." 

"  But,"  said  I,  "  this  round  glass — what  is  that  for  ?  " 

"  Put  it  on  one  side,"  replied  she,  "  and  to-morrow,  if  it 
is  fine,  I  will  shew  you  the  use  of  it ;  but  there  are  some 
things  we  have  forgotten,  which  are  your  belt  and  the 
other  articles  you  gave  me  to  take  for  you  when  you 
thought  we  were  to  leave  the  island.  They  are  in  the 
bed-place  opposite  to  yours." 

I  brought  them,  and  she  put  away  the  mate's  watch  and 
sleeve  buttons,  and  the  other  trinkets,  &c.,  saying  that  she 


154  '^he  Little  Savage 

would  examine  the  letters  and  papers  at  another  time. 
The  belt  was  examined,  counting  how  many  of  the  squares 
had  stones  in  them,  and  then,  with  her  scissors,  she  cut 
open  one  of  the  squares,  and  took  out  a  white  glittering 
thing  like  glass  as  it  appeared  to  me,  and  looked  at  it 
carefully. 

"  I  am  no  great  judge  of  these  things,"  said  she,  "  but 
still  I  have  picked  up  some  little  knowledge.  This  belt, 
if  it  contain  all  stones  like  this,  must  be  of  considerable 
value  ;  now  I  must  get  out  my  needle  and  thread  and  sew 
it  up  again."  She  did,  and  put  the  belt  away  with  the 
other  articles  in  the  chest.  "  And  now,"  said  she,  "  we 
have  done  a  good  day's  work,  and  it  is  time  to  have  some- 
thing to  eat." 


Chapter  XXVI 

I  MUST  say  that  I  was  much  better  pleased  with  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  cabin,  it  was  so  neat  and  clean  to  what  it 
had  been,  and  everything  was  out  of  the  way.  The  next 
day  was  a  calm  and  clear  day,  and  we  went  down  to  fish. 
We  were  fortunate,  and  procured  almost  as  many  as  we 
had  done  at  the  previous  fishing — they  were  all  put  in  the 
bathing  pool  as  before.  When  we  went  up  to  the  cabin, 
as  soon  as  the  fish  was  put  on  the  fire,  under  the  direction 
of  my  mother,  I  turned  up  the  sides  of  one  of  the  pieces  of 
sheet  iron,  so  as  to  make  a  sort  of  dish.  The  other  piece 
I  did  the  same  to,  only  not  so  high  at  the  sides,  as  one 
piece  was  kept  for  baking  the  fish  on  and  the  other  as  a 
dish  to  put  our  dinner  upon  when  cooked.  That  day  we 
had  been  too  busy  with  fishing  to  think  of  anything  else, 
but  on  the  following  I  recollected  the  magnifying  glass, 
and  brought  it  to  her.  She  first  showed  me  the  power  it 
had  to  magnify,  with  which  I  was  much  amused  for  a  time, 
and  she  explained  as  well  as  she  could  to  me  the  cause  of 
its  having  that  power,  but  I  could  not  well  understand  her  -, 


The  Little  Savage  155 

I  was  more  pleased  with  the  effect  than  cognisant  of  the 
cause.  Afterwards  she  sent  me  to  the  cabin  for  some  of 
the  dried  moss  which  I  used  for  tinder,  and  placing  the 
glass  so  as  to  concentrate  the  rays  of  the  sun,  to  my 
astonishment  I  saw  the  tinder  caught  fire.  It  was  amaze- 
ment more  than  astonishment,  and  I  looked  up  to  see 
where  the  fire  came  from.  My  mother  explained  to  me, 
and  I,  to  a  certain  degree,  comprehended,  but  I  was  too 
anxious  to  have  the  glass  in  my  own  hands  and  try  experi- 
ments. I  lighted  the  tinder  again — then  I  burnt  my  hand 
— then  I  singed  one  of  the  gannet's  heads,  and  lastly, 
perceiving  that  Nero  was  fast  asleep  in  the  sun,  I  obtained 
the  focus  on  his  cold  nose.  He  started  up  with  a  growl, 
which  made  me  retreat,  and  I  was  perfectly  satisfied  with 
the  result  of  my  experiments.  From  that  time,  the  fire 
was,  when  the  sun  shone,  invariably  lighted  by  the 
burning-glass,  and  very  useful  did  I  find  it.  As  it  was  so 
portable,  I  always  carried  it  with  me,  and  when  I  had 
nothing  to  do,  I  magnified,  or  set  fire,  according  to  the 
humour  of  the  moment. 

Although  I  have  not  mentioned  it,  not  a  morning  rose, 
but  before  breakfast,  I  read  the  Scriptures  to  my  mother. 

"  There's  so  much  in  that  book  which  I  cannot  under- 
stand," said  I,  one  morning. 

"  I  suspect  that,  living  as  you  have,  alone  on  this  island, 
and  having  seen  nothing  of  the  world,"  replied  my  mother, 
*'  that  there  are  not  many  books  that  you  would  under- 
stand." 

"But  I  understand  all  that  is  said  in  the  Beast  and  Bird 
Book,"  replied  I. 

"Perhaps  you  may,  or  think  you  do;  but,  Frank,  you 
must  not  class  the  Bible  with  other  books.  The  other 
books  are  the  works  of  man,  but  the  Bible  is  the  word  of 
God.  There  are  many  portions  of  that  book  which  the 
cleverest  men,  who  have  devoted  their  lives  to  its  study, 
cannot  understand,  and  which  never  will  be  understood  as 
long  as  this  world  endures.  In  many  parts  the  Bible  is  a 
sealed  book." 


156  The  Little  Savage 

"  But  will  it  never  be  understood  then  by  anybody  ? " 
"  There  is  quite  as  much  of  the  Bible  as  is  necessary  for 
men  to  follow  its  precepts,  and  this  is  so  clear  that  anybody 
may  understand  it — it  contains  all  that  is  necessary  for 
salvation ;  but  there  are  passages,  the  true  meaning  of 
which  we  cannot  explain,  and  which  God,  for  his  own 
purposes,  will  not  permit  us  to.  But  if  we  do  not 
know  them  now,  we  shall  probably  hereafter,  when  we 
have  left  this  world,  and  our  intellects  more  nearly  approach 
God's." 

**  Well,  I  don't  understand  why  we  should  not  under- 
stand it." 

"  Frank,"  replied  she,  "  look  at  that  flower  just  in 
bloom.  Do  you  understand  how  it  is  that  that  plant  keeps 
alive — grows  every  year — every  year  throws  out  a  large 
blue  flower  ?  Why  should  it  do  so  ?  why  should  the 
flower  always  be  blue  ?  and  whence  comes  that  beautiful 
colour  ?  Can  you  tell  me  ?  You  see,  you  know  that  it 
does  do  so  ;  but  can  you  tell  me  what  makes  it  do  so  ? " 
*'  No." 

**  Look  at  that  bird.  You  know  it  is  hatched  from  an 
egg.  How  is  it  that  the  inside  of  an  egg  is  changed  into 
a  bird  ?  How  is  it  that  the  bird  is  covered  with  feathers, 
and  has  the  power  to  fly  ?  Can  you  explain  to  me  your- 
self ?  You  can  walk  about  just  as  you  please — you  have 
the  power  of  reasoning,  and  thinking,  and  of  acting ;  but 
by  what  means  is  it  that  you  possess  that  power  ?  Can 
you  tell  ?  You  know  that  is  so,  but  you  know  no  more. 
You  can't  tell  why  or  how  or  what  causes  produce  these 
eifects — can  you  ?  " 
"  No." 

**Well,  then,  if  you  are  surrounded  by  all  manner  of 
things,  living  and  dead,  and  see  every  day  things  which 
you  cannot  explain,  or  understand,  why  should  you  be 
surprised  that,  as  God  has  not  let  you  know  by  what 
means  these  effects  are  produced,  that  in  his  written  word 
he  should  also  keep  from  you  that  which  for  good  pur- 
poses you  are  not  permitted  to  know.     Everything  here  is 


The  Little  Savage  157 

by  God's  will,  and  that  must  be  sufficient  for  us.  Now 
do  you  understand  ?  " 

**  Yes,  I  see  now  what  you  mean,  but  I  never  thought 
about  these  things  before.  Tell  me  some  more  about  the 
Bible." 

*'  Not  now.  Some  day  I  will  give  you  a  history  of  the 
Bible,  and  then  you  will  understand  the  nature  of  the  book, 
and  why  it  was  written  ;  but  not  at  present.  Suppose,  as 
we  have  nothing  particular  to  do,  you  tell  me  all  you  know 
about  yourself  from  Jackson,  and  all  that  happened  while 
you  lived  with  him.  I  have  heard  only  part,  and  I  should 
like  to  know  all." 

*' Very  well,"  replied  I.  ''I  will  tell  you  everything, 
but  it  will  take  a  long  while." 

"  We  shall  have  plenty  of  time  to  spare,  my  dear  boy, 
I  fear,  before  we  leave  this  place  ;  so,  never  mind  time — 
tell  me  everything." 

I  commenced  my  narrative,  but  I  was  interrupted. 

**  Have  you  never  been  able  to  call  your  own  mother  to 
your  memory  ? "  said  she. 

**  I  think  I  can  now,  since  I  have  seen  you,  but  I  could 
not  before.  I  now  can  recollect  a  person  dressed  like 
you,  kneeling  down  and  praying  by  my  side  j  and  I  said 
before,  the  figure  has  appeared  in  my  dreams,  and  much 
oftener  since  you  have  been  here." 

"  And  your  father  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  the  slightest  remembrance  of  him,  or  any- 
body else  except  my  mother." 

I  then  proceeded,  and  continued  my  narrative  until  it 
was  time  to  go  to  bed ;  but  as  I  was  very  circumstantial, 
and  was  often  interrupted  by  questions,  I  had  not  told  a 
quarter  of  what  I  had  to  say. 


Chapter  XXVII 

Mrs  Reichardt  had  promised  to  give  me  a  history  of  the 


158  The  Little  Savage 

Bible;  and  one  day,  when  the  weather  kept  us  both  at 
home,  she  thus  commenced  her  narrative  : — 

"  The  Bible  is  a  history  of  God's  doings  for  the  salva- 
tion of  man.  It  commences  with  the  fall  of  man  by 
disobedience,  and  ends  with  the  sacrifice  made  for  his 
reinstatement.  As  by  one  man,  Adam,  sin  came  into  the 
world,  so  by  one  man,  Jesus  Christ,  was  sin  and  death 
overcome.  If  you  will  refer  to  the  third  chapter  of 
Genesis,  at  the  very  commencement  of  the  Bible,  you  will 
find  that  at  the  same  time  that  Adam  receives  his  punish- 
ment, a  promise  is  made  by  the  Lord,  that  the  head  of  the 
serpent  shall  hereafter  be  bruised.  The  whole  of  the 
Bible,  from  the  very  commencement,  is  an  announcement 
of  the  coming  of  Christ ;  so  that  as  soon  as  the  fault  had 
been  committed,  the  Almighty,  in  his  mercy,  had  provided 
a  remedy.     Nothing  is  unknown  or  unforeseen  by  God. 

"  Recollect,  Frank,  that  the  Bible  contains  the  history 
of  God's  doings,  but  it  does  not  often  tell  us  why  such 
things  were  done.  It  must  be  sufficient  for  us  to  know 
that  such  was  the  will  of  God ;  when  he  thinks  proper, 
he  allows  us  to  understand  his  ways,  but  to  our  limited 
capacities,  most  of  his  doings  are  inscrutable.  But,  are 
we  to  suppose  that,  because  we,  in  our  foolishness,  cannot 
comprehend  his  reasons,  that  therefore  they  must  be 
cavilled  at  ?     Do  you  understand  me,  Frank  ? " 

"  Yes,"  replied  I ;  **  I  do  pretty  well." 

"  As  I  pointed  out  to  you  the  other  day,  you  see  the 
blade  of  grass  grow,  and  you  see  it  flower,  but  how  it  does 
so  you  know  not.  If  then  you  are  surrounded  all  your 
life  with  innumerable  things  which  you  see  but  cannot 
comprehend — when  all  nature  is  a  mystery  to  you — even 
yourself — how  can  you  expect  to  understand  the  dealings 
of  God  in  other  things  ?  When,  therefore,  you  read  the 
Bible,  you  must  read  it  with  faith." 

"  What  is  faith  ?     I  don't  quite  understand,  mother." 

"  Frank,  I  have  often  told  you  of  many  things  that  are 
in  England,  where  you  one  day  hope  to  go.  Now,  if 
when  you  arrive   in  England,   you   find  that   everything 


The  Little  Savage  159 

that  I  have  told  you  is  quite  true,  you  will  be  satisfied 
that  I  am  worthy  of  belief." 

"  Yes." 

*'Well,  suppose  some  one  were  to  tell  you  something 
relative  to  any  other  country,  which  you  could  not  under- 
stand, and  you  came  to  me  and  asked  me  if  such  were 
the  case,  would  you,  having  found  that  I  told  you  truth 
with  regard  to  England,  believe  that  what  you  had  been 
told  of  this  other  country  was  true,  if  I  positively  asserted 
that  it  was  so  ? " 

"  Of  course  I  should,  mother." 

"Well,  then,  Frank,  that  would  be  faith;  a  belief  in 
things  not  only  not  seen,  but  which  you  cannot  understand. 
But  to  go  on,  I  mention  this  because  some  people  are  so 
presumptuous  as  to  ask  the  why  and  the  wherefore  of 
God's  doings,  and  attempt  to  argue  upon  their  justice, 
forgetting  that  the  little  reason  they  have  is  the  gift  of 
God,  and  that  they  must  be  endowed  with  intellect  equal 
to  the  Almighty,  to  enable  them  to  know  and  perceive 
that  which  he  decides  upon.  But  if  God  has  not  permitted 
us  to  understand  all  his  ways,  still,  wherever  we  can  trace 
the  finger  of  God,  we  can  always  perceive  that  every- 
thing is  directed  by  an  all-wise  and  beneficent  hand  ;  and 
that,  although  the  causes  appear  simple,  the  effects 
produced  are  extraordinary  and  wonderful.  We  shall 
observe  this  as  we  talk  over  the  history  of  the  Jews,  in 
the  Bible.  But,  I  repeat,  that  we  must  study  the  whole 
of  the  Bible  with  faith,  and  not  be  continually  asking 
ourselves,  *  Why  was  this  done  ? '  If  you  will  turn  to 
the  ninth  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  you  will 
see  what  the  Apostle  Paul  says  on  the  subject :  *  Nay 
but,  O  man,  who  art  thou  that  repliest  against  God  ? ' 
Shall  the  thing  formed  say  to  him  that  formed  it,  *  Why 
hast  thou  made  me  thus  ? '  Do  you  not  understand  in 
what  spirit  the  Bible  should  be  read  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  do.  We  must  read  it  as  the  Word  of  God, 
and  believe  all  that  we  read  in  it." 

'*  Exactly  ; — now  we  will  proceed.     After  Adam's  fall, 


i6o  The  Little  Savage 

the  earth  became  so  wicked  that  God  destroyed  it,  leaving 
but  Noah  and  his  family  to  re-people  it  ;  and  as  soon  as 
this  was  done,  the  Almighty  prepared  for  his  original 
intention  for  the  future  salvation  of  men.  He  selected 
Abraham,  who  was  a  good  man,  and  who  had  faith,  to 
be  the  father  of  a  nation  chosen  for  his  own  people — ■ 
that  was  the  Jewish  nation.  He  told  him  that  his  seed 
should  multiply  as  the  stars  in  the  heavens,  and  that  all 
the  nations  of  the  earth  should  be  blessed  in  him ;  that 
is,  that  from  his  descendants  should  Christ  be  born,  who 
should  be  the  salvation  of  men.  Abraham's  great-grand- 
children were  brought  into  Egypt,  to  live  apart  in  the 
land  of  Goshen.  You  have  read  the  history  of  Joseph 
and  his  brethren  ? " 

'*  Oh  yes ;  I  know  that  well." 

''  Well,  the  Almighty  wished  the  Jews  should  be  a 
nation  apart  from  others,  and  for  that  purpose  he  brought 
them  into  Egypt.  But  observe,  Frank,  by  what  simple 
and  natural  causes  this  was  effected.  It  was  by  a  dream 
of  Joseph's,  which,  when  he  told  them  of  it,  irritated  his 
brothers  against  him ;  they  sold  him  as  a  slave,  and  he 
was  sent  into  Egypt.  There,  having  explained  the  dream 
of  Pharaoh,  he  was  made  a  ruler  over  Egypt,  and  saved 
that  country  from  the  famine  which  was  in  every  other 
land.  His  brothers  come  down  to  buy  corn,  and  he 
recognises  them.  He  sends  for  his  father  and  all  the 
family,  and  establishes  them  in  the  land  of  Goshen,  as 
shepherds,  apart  from  the  Egyptians.  Here  they 
multiplied  fast ;  but  after  Joseph's  elevation  they  were 
cruelly  treated  by  the  Egyptians,  who  became  afraid  of 
their  rapid  increase,  and  eventually  the  Kings  of  Egypt 
gave  orders  that  all  the  male  children  of  the  Jews  should 
be  destroyed.  It  was  at  this  time,  when  they  were  so 
oppressed  and  cruelly  treated  by  the  Egyptians,  that  God 
interfered  and  sent  for  Moses.  Moses,  like  all  the  rest 
of  the  Jews,  knew  nothing  of  the  true  God,  and  was 
difficult  to  persuade,  and  it  was  only  by  miracles  that  he 
was  convinced." 


The  Little  Savage  i6i 

**Why  did  God  keep  the  Jews  apart  from  the 
Egyptians,  and  have  them  thrown  in  bondage  ? " 

**  Because  he  wished  to  prepare  them  to  become  his 
own  peculiar  people.  By  their  being  descended  from 
Abraham,  and  having  never  intermarried  with  other 
nations,  they  had  become  a  pure  race ;  by  being  in 
bondage  and  severely  treated,  they  had  suffered  and 
become  united  as  a  people.  They  knew  no  Gods  but 
those  worshipped  by  the  Egyptians,  and  these  Gods  it 
was  now  the  intention  of  the  Almighty  to  confound,  and 
prove  to  the  Jews  as  worthless.  At  the  same  time  he 
worked  with  his  own  nation  in  mystery,  for  when  Moses 
asked  him  what  God  he  was  to  tell  his  people  that  he  was, 
the  Almighty  only  replied  by  these  words — lam;  having  no 
name  like  all  the  false  Gods  worshipped  by  the  Egyptians. 
He  was  now  about  to  prove,  by  his  wonderful  miracles, 
the  difference  between  himself  and  the  false  Gods." 

"  What  are  miracles  ?  " 

"  A  miracle  is  doing  that  which  man  has  no  power  of 
doing,  proving  that  the  party  who  does  it  is  superior  to 
man  :  for  instance — to  restore  a  dead  man  to  life  is  a 
miracle,  as  none  but  God,  or  those  empowered  by  God 
could  do.  Miracles  were  necessary,  therefore,  to  prove 
to  the  Jews  that  the  Almighty  was  the  true  God,  and 
were  resorted  to  by  him  in  this  instance,  as  well  as  in 
the  coming  of  Our  Saviour,  when  it  was  also  necessary 
to  prove  that  he  was  the  Son  of  God.  When  the 
Almighty  sent  Moses  to  Pharaoh  to  demand  that  the 
Israelites  should  have  permission  to  sacrifice  in  the  desert, 
he  purposely  hardened  the  heart  of  Pharaoh  that  he 
might  refuse  the  request." 

"  But  why  did  he  so  ? " 

"  Because  he  wanted  to  prove  to  the  Israelites  that  he 
was  the  only  true  God ;  and  had  Pharaoh  consented  to 
their  going  away,  there  would  have  been  no  opportunity 
of  performing  those  miracles  by  which  the  Israelites  were 
to  be  delivered,  and  by  which  they  were  to  acknowledge 
him  as  their  God." 

L.S.  L 


i62  The  Little  Savage 

Mrs  Reichardt  often  renewed   this  conversation,  till  I 
became  acquainted  with  Scriptural  History. 


Chapter  XXVIII 

The  following  morning,  I  went  with  Nero  to  take  a  couple 
of  fish  out  of  the  pool.  As  soon  as  Nero  had  caught  them, 
he  went  into  the  other  part  of  the  bathing  pool  to  amuse 
himself,  while  I  cleaned  the  fish,  which  I  generally  did 
before  I  went  up  to  the  cabin,  giving  him  the  heads  and 
insides  for  his  share,  if  I  did  not  require  any  portion  for 
the  birds.  Nero  was  full  of  play  that  morning,  and  when 
I  threw  the  heads  to  him,  as  he  frolicked  in  the  water, 
he  brought  them  out  to  the  rocks,  but  instead  of  eating 
them,  as  usual,  he  laid  them  at  my  feet.  I  threw  them 
in  several  times,  and  he  continued  to  bring  them  out, 
and  my  mother,  coming  down  to  me,  was  watching  him. 

"  I  think,"  said  she,  "  you  must  teach  Nero  to  fetch 
and  carry  like  a  dog — try.  Instead  of  the  heads,  throw 
in  this  piece  of  wood  5 "  which  she  now  broke  off  the 
boat-hook  staff. 

I  did  so,  and  Nero  brought  it  out,  as  he  had  done  the 
heads  of  the  fish.  I  patted  and  coaxed  the  animal,  and 
tried  him  again  several  times  with  success. 

"  Now,"  said  my  mother,  "  you  must  accustom  him  to 
certain  words  when  you  send  him  for  anything.  Always 
say,  *  Fetch  it,  Nero ! '  and  point  with  your  finger." 

"  Why  am  I  to  do  that,  mother  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Because  the  object  to  be  gained  is,  not  that  the 
animal  should  fetch  out  what  you  throw  in,  but  what  you 
send  it  to  bring  out  which  you  have  not  thrown  in.  Do 
you  understand  ? " 

"  Yes,"  replied  I.  "  You  mean  if  there  were  any- 
thing floating  near  on  the  sea,  I  should  send  him  for  it." 

*'  Exactly.     Then  Nero  would  be  of  some  use." 

"  I  will  soon  teach  him,"  replied  I ;  "  to-morrow  I  will 


The  Little  Savage  i6 


o 


send  him  into  the  sea  after  the  piece  of  spar.  Fve  no  fear 
that  he  will  go  away  now^." 

"I  was  thinking  last  night,  Frank,  whether  they  had 
taken  the  pail  with  them  in  the  boat." 

**The  pail,"  said  I;  "I  know  where  it  is,  but  I  quite 
forgot  it.  We  left  it  up  the  ravine  the  last  day  we  planted 
the  potatoes." 

"  We  did  so,  now  I  recollect.  I  will  go  for  it  while 
you  get  the  breakfast  ready." 

We  had  now  been  for  many  weeks  on  a  fish  diet,  and 
I  must  confess  that  I  was  tired  of  it,  which  was  not  the 
case  when  I  lived  upon  the  dried  birds  during  the  whole 
of  the  year.  Why  so  I  cannot  tell,  but  I  was  soon  to 
learn  to  relish  fish,  if  I  could  obtain  them. 

It  was  not  often  that  the  wind  blew  direct  on  the  shore, 
but  coming  from  the  northward  and  eastward,  it  was  in 
a  slanting  direction,  but  occasionally,  and  chiefly  about 
the  time  of  the  Equinoxes,  the  gales  came  on  very  heavy 
from  the  eastward,  and  then  the  wash  of  the  seas  upon 
the  rocky  coast  was  tremendous.  Such  was  the  case 
about  this  time.  A  fierce  gale  of  wind  from  the  eastward 
raised  a  sea  which  threw  the  surf  and  spray  high  over  the 
loftiest  of  the  rocks,  and  the  violence  of  the  wind  bore 
the  spray  far  inland.  The  gale  had  come  on  in  the 
evening,  and  my  mother  and  I,  when  we  rose  in  the  morning, 
were  standing  on  the  platform  before  the  cabin,  admiring 
the  grandeur  of  the  scene,  but  without  the  least  idea  that 
it  was  to  be  productive  of  so  much  misery  to  ourselves. 
My  mother  pointed  out  to  me  some  passages  in  the  Psalms 
and  Old  Testament  bearing  strongly  upon  the  scene 
before  us  ;  after  a  time  I  called  Nero,  and  went  down 
with  him  to  take  fish  out  of  the  pool  for  our  day's  con- 
sumption. At  that  time  we  had  a  large  supply  in  the 
pool— more  than  ever,  I  should  say.  When  I  arrived  at 
the  pool,  I  found  the  waves  several  feet  in  height  rolling 
in  over  the  ledges,  and  the  pool  one  mass  of  foam,  the 
water  in  it  being  at  least  two  or  three  feet  higher  than 
usual;  still  it  never  occurred   to  me  that  there  was  any 


164  The  Little  Savage 

mischief  done,  until  I  had  sent  Nero  in  for  the  fish,  and 
found  that,  after  floundering  and  diving  for  some  time, 
he  did  not  bring  out  one.  My  mind  misgave  me,  and  I 
ordered  him  in  again.  He  remained  some  time  and  then 
returned  without  a  fish,  and  I  was  then  satisfied  that  from 
the  rolling  in  of  the  waves,  and  the  unusual  quantity  of 
the  water  in  the  pool,  the  whole  of  the  fish  had  escaped, 
and  that  we  were  now  without  any  provisions  or  means 
of  subsistence,  until  the  weather  should  settle,  and  enable 
us  to  catch  some  more. 

Aghast  at  the  discovery,  I  ran  up  to  the  cabin,  and 
called  to  my  mother,  who  was  in  her  bedroom. 

"  Oh,  mother,  all  the  fish  have  got  out  of  the  pool, 
and  we  have  nothing  to  eat.  I  told  you  we  should  be 
starved." 

"Take  time,  Frank,  and  take  breath,"  replied  she,  "and 
then  tell  me  what  has  happened,  to  cause  this  alarm  and 
dismay,  that  you  appear  to  be  in." 

I  explained  to  her  what  had  happened,  and  that  Nero 
could  not  find  one  fish. 

"I  fear  that  what  you  say  must  be  correct,"  replied  she; 
"  but  we  must  put  our  trust  in  God.  It  is  his  will,  and 
whatever  he  wills  must  be  right." 

I  cannot  say  I  was  Christian  enough  at  the  time  to 
acknowledge  the  truth  of  her  reply,  and  I  answered,  "  If 
God  is  as  good  and  as  gracious  as  you  say,  will  he  allow 
us  to  starve  ?  Does  he  know  that  we  are  starving  ? " 
continued  I. 

"  Does  he  know,  Frank  ? "  replied  my  mother ;  "  what 
does  the  Bible  say — that  not  a  sparrow  falls  to  the  ground 
without  his  knowledge  ;  and  of  how  much  more  worth 
are  you  than  many  sparrows  ?     Shame  upon  you,  Frank  ! " 

I  was  abashed  but  not  satisfied,  I  therefore  replied 
quietly,  "  We  have  nothing  to  eat,  mother." 

"  Granted  that  we  have  lost  all  our  fish,  Frank,  still 
we  are  not  yet  starving ;  the  weather  may  moderate  to- 
morrow, and  we  may  catch  some  m.ore,  or  even  if  it  should 
not  till  the  day  afterwards,  we  can  bear  to  be  two  days 


The  Little  Savage  165 

without  food.  Let  us  hope  for  the  best  and  put  our  trust 
in  God — let  us  pray  to  him  and  ask  him  for  his  assist- 
ance. He  can  rebuke  these  stormy  waters — he  can 
always  find  means  of  helping  those  who  put  confidence  in 
him,  and  will  send  us  aid  when  all  hope  appears  gone. 
Fray,  Frank,  as  I  will  do,  fervently,  and  believing  that 
your  prayer  is  heard — pray  with  faith,  and  your  prayer 
will  be  answered." 

"It  is  not  always  so,"  replied  I ;  "  you  have  told  me  of 
many  people  who  have  died  of  starvation." 

"I  grant  it,  and  for  all  wise  purposes  they  were  per- 
mitted so  to  do,  but  the  Almighty  had  reasons  for  per- 
mitting it,  unknown  to  us,  but  which  you  may  depend 
upon  it,  were  good.  We  cannot  fathom  his  decrees. 
He  may  even  now  decide  that  such  is  to  be  our  fate  ;  but 
if  so,  depend  upon  it,  Frank,  all  is  right,  and  what  appears 
to  you  now  as  cruel  and  neglectful  of  you,  would,  if  the 
future  could  be  looked  into  by  us,  prove  to  have  been  an 
act  of  mercy." 

"  Do  you  think,  then,  that  we  shall  starve  ? " 

"  I  do  not — I  have  too  much  faith  in  God's  mercy,  and 
I  do  not  think  that  he  would  have  preserved  our  lives  by 
preventing  the  men  from  taking  us  into  the  boat,  if  we 
were  now  to  starve.  God  is  not  inconsistent ;  and  I  feel 
assured  that,  forlorn  as  our  present  position  appears  to  be, 
and  tried  as  our  faith  in  him  may  be,  we  shall  still  be 
preserved,  and  live  to  be  monuments  of  his  gracious  love 
and  kindness." 

These  words  of  my  mother  and  the  implicit  confidence 
which  she  appeared  to  have,  much  revived  me.  "  Well," 
said  I,  "  I  hope  you  are  right,  my  dear  mother,  and  now  I 
think  of  it,"  continued  I,  brightening  up  at  the  idea,  "  if 
the  worst  come  to  the  worst,  we  can  eat  the  birds;  I  don't 
care  much  for  them  now,  and  if  I  did,  you  should  not 
starve,  mother." 

"  I  believe  you  would  not  hesitate  to  sacrifice  the  birds, 
Frank,  but  a  greater  sacrifice  may  be  demanded  of 
you." 


1 66  The  Little  Savage 

"  What  ?"  inquired  I ;  and  then  after  a  little  thought,  I 
said,  "  You  don't  mean  Nero,  mother  ? " 

"  To  tell  the  truth,  I  did  mean  Nero,  Frank,  for  the 
birds  will  not  be  a  support  for  more  than  a  day  or  two." 

*'I  never  could  kill  Nero,  mother,"  replied  I  gloomily, 
and  walking  away  into  the  cabin,  I  sat  down  very  melan- 
choly at  the  idea  of  my  favourite  being  sacrificed ;  to  me 
it  appeared  quite  horrible,  and  my  mother  having  referred 
to  it,  made  her  fall  very  much  in  my  good  opinion.  Alas ! 
I  was  indeed  young  and  foolish,  and  little  thought  what  a 
change  would  take  place  in  my  feelings.  As  for  the  birds, 
as  I  really  did  not  care  for  them,  I  resolved  to  kill  two  of 
them  for  our  day's  meal,  and  returning  to  the  platform  I 
had  laid  hold  of  the  two  that  were  there  and  had  seized 
both  by  the  neck,  when  my  mother  asked  me  what  I  was 
going  to  do. 

"  Kill  them,  and  put  them  in  the  pot  for  our  dinner," 
replied  I. 

"  Nay,  Frank !  you  are  too  hasty.  Let  us  make  some 
little  sacrifice,  even  for  the  poor  birds.  "We  surely  can 
fast  one  day  without  very  great  suffering.  To-morrow 
will  be  time  enough." 

I  dropped  the  birds  from  my  hand,  tacitly  consenting 
to  her  proposal.  It  was  not,  however,  for  the  sake  of  the 
birds  that  I  did  so,  but  because  one  day's  respite  for  the 
birds  would  be  a  day's  respite  for  Nero. 

"  Come,"  said  my  mother,  "  let  us  go  into  the  cabin 
and  get  some  work.  I  will  alter  some  of  the  clothes  for 
you.     What  will  you  do  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  I,  "  but  I  will  do  whatever 
you  tell  me." 

"  Well,  then,  I  perceive  that  the  two  fishing-lines  are 
much  worn,  and  they  may  break  very  soon,  and  then  we 
shall  be  without  the  means  of  taking  fish,  even  if  the 
v/eather  is  fine,  so  now  we  will  cut  off  some  of  the  whale 
line,  and  when  it  is  unravelled,  I  will  show  you  how  to 
lay  it  up  again  into  fishing  line ;  and,  perhaps,  instead  of 
altering  the    clothes,  I   had   better  help  you,  as  fishing- 


The  Little  Savage  167 

lines  are  now  of  more  consequence  to  us  than  anything 
else." 

This  was  an  arrangement  which  I  gladly  consented  to. 
In  a  short  time  the  whale  line  was  unravelled,  and  my 
mother  showed  me  how  to  lay  it  up  in  three  yarns,  so  as 
to  make  a  stout  fishing  line.  She  assisted,  and  the  time 
passed  away  more  rapidly  than  I  had  expected  it  would. 
"  You  are  very  clever,  mother,"  said  I. 
"  No,  my  child,  I  am  not,  but  I  certainly  do  know 
many  things  which  women  in  general  are  not  acquainted 
with  ;  but  the  reason  of  this  is,  I  have  lived  a  life  of 
wandering,  and  occasional  hardships.  Often  left  to  our 
own  resources,  when  my  husband  and  I  were  among 
strangers,  we  found  the  necessity  of  learning  to  do  many 
things  for  ourselves,  which  those  who  have  money  usually 
employ  others  to  do  for  them  ;  but  I  have  been  in  situa- 
tions where  even  money  was  of  no  use,  and  had  to  trust 
entirely  to  myself.  I  have  therefore  always  made  it  a  rule 
to  learn  everything  that  I  could  ;  and  as  I  have  passed 
much  of  my  life  in  sailing  over  the  deep  waters,  I  obtained 
much  useful  knowledge  from  the  seamen,  and  this  of 
laying  up  fishing  lines  is  one  of  the  arts  which  they  com- 
municated to  me.  Now,  you  see,  I  reap  the  advantage 
of  it." 

"Yes,"  replied  I;  *' and  so  do  I.     How  lucky  it  was 
that  you  came  to  this  island  !  " 

"  Lucky  for  me,  do  you  mean,  Frank  ?  " 
"  No,  mother  !  I  mean  how  lucky  for  me." 
"  I  trust  that  I  have  been  sent  here  to  be  useful,  Frank, 
and  with  that  feeling  I  cheerfully  submit  to  the  will  of 
God.  He  has  sent  me  that  I  may  be  useful  to  you,  I  do 
not  doubt ;  and  if  by  my  means  you  are  drawn  towards 
him,  and,  eventually,  become  one  of  his  children,  I  shall 
have  fulfilled  my  mission." 

"  I  do  not  understand  you  quite,  mother." 
"  No,  you   cannot   as  yet,  but    everything  in  season," 
replied  she,  slowly  musing ;    "  *  First  the  blade,  then  the 
ear,  and  then  the  full  corn  in  the  ear.' " 


1 68  The  Little  Savage 

**  Mother,"  said  I,  "I  should  like  to  hear  the  whole 
story  of  your  life.  You  know  I  have  told  you  all  that 
I  know  about  myself.  Now  suppose  you  tell  me  your 
history,  and  that  of  your  husband.  You  did  say  that 
perhaps,  one  day  you  would.     Do  you  recollect  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do  recollect  that  I  did  make  a  sort  of  promise, 
Frank,  and  I  promise  you  now  that  some  day  I  will  fulfil 
it ;  but  I  am  not  sure  that  you  will  understand  or  profit 
by  the  history  now,  so  much  as  you  may  bye-and-bye." 

"  Well,  but  mother,  you  can  tell  me  the  story  twice, 
and  I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  it  again,  so  tell  it  to  me  now, 
to  amuse  me,  and  bye-and-bye  that  I  may  profit  by  it." 

My  mother  smiled,  which  she  very  seldom  did,  and  said — 

**  Well,  Frank,  as  I  know  you  would  at  any  time  give 
up  your  dinner  to  listen  to  a  story,  and  as  you  will  have 
no  dinner  to-day,  I  think  it  is  but  fair  that  I  should 
consent  to  your  wish.  Who  shall  I  begin  with — with 
my  husband  or  with  myself  ? " 

"  Pray  begin  with  your  own  history,"  replied  I. 


Chapter  XXIX 

"  I  AM  the  daughter  of  a  parish  clerk  in  a  small  market 
town  near  the  southern  coast  of  England,  within  a  few 
miles  of  a  large  seaport." 

"  What  is  a  parish  clerk  ? "  I  asked,  interrupting  my 
mother  at  the  commencement  of  her  promised  narrative. 

"  A  parish  clerk,"  she  replied,  "is  a  man  who  is 
employed  in  the  parish  or  place  to  which  he  belongs,  to 
fulfil  certain  humble  duties  in  connection  with  the  church 
or  place  of  worship  where  the  people  meet  together  to 
worship  God." 

**  What  does  he  do  there  ?  "  I  inquired. 

**  He  gives  out  the  psalms  that  are  to  be  sung,  leads  the 
congregation  in  making  their  responses  to  the  minister 
appointed  to  perform  the  services  of  the  church ;  has  the 


The  Little  Savage  169 

custody  of  the  registry  of  births,  deaths,  and  burials  of  the 
inhabitants,  and  the  care  of  the  church  monuments,  and  of 
other  property  belonging  to  the  building.  In  some  places 
he  also  fulfils  the  duties  of  bell-ringer  and  grave-digger ; 
that  is  to  say,  by  ringing  a  large  bell  at  the  top  of  the 
church,  he  summons  the  people  to  their  devotions,  during 
their  lives,  and  digs  a  hole  in  consecrated  ground,  surround- 
ing the  sacred  building,  to  receive  their  bodies  when  dead." 

I  mused  on  this  strange  combination  of  offices,  and 
entertained  a  notion  of  the  importance  of  such  a  functionary, 
which  I  afterwards  found  was  completely  at  variance  with 
the  real  state  of  the  case. 

"  My  father,"  she  resumed,  "  not  only  fulfilled  all  these 
duties,  but  contrived  to  perform  the  functions  of  school- 
master to  the  parish  children." 

"  What  are  parish  children  ? "  I  asked  eagerly.  **  I  know 
what  children  are,  as  Jackson  represented  to  me  that  I  was 
the  child  of  my  father  and  mother,  but  what  makes 
children,  parish  children  ?  " 

"They  are  the  children  of  the  poor,"  Mrs  Reichardt 
replied,  "  who,  not  being  able  to  afford  them  instruction, 
willingly  allow  them  to  be  taught  at  the  expense  of  the 
people  of  the  parish  generally." 

I  thought  this  a  praiseworthy  arrangement.  I  knew 
nothing  of  poors-rates,  and  the  system  of  giving  relief  to 
the  poor  of  the  parish,  so  long  used  in  England,  afterwards 
explained  to  me,  but  the  kindness  and  wisdom  of  this  plan 
of  instruction  became  evident  to  my  understanding.  I  was 
proceeding  to  ask  other  questions,  when  my  mother  stopped 
them  by  saying,  that  if  I  expected  her  to  get  through  her 
story,  I  must  let  her  proceed  without  further  interruption ; 
for  many  things  would  be  mentioned  by  her  which  de- 
manded explanation,  for  one  so  completely  unaware  of 
their  existence  as  myself,  and  that  it  would  be  impossible 
to  make  me  thoroughly  acquainted  with  such  things  within 
any  reasonable  time  ;  the  proper  explanations,  she  promised, 
should  follow.     She  then  proceeded. 

**  My  father,  it  may  be  thought,  had  enough  on  his 


170  The  Little  Savage 

hands,  but  in  an  obscure  country  town,  it  is  not  unusual 
for  one  man  to  unite  the  occupations  of  several,  and  this 
v/as  particularly  the  case  with  my  father,  who,  in  addition 
to  the  offices  I  have  enumerated,  was  the  best  cattle-doctor 
and  bone-setter  within  ten  miles  ;  and  often  earned  his 
bread  at  different  kinds  of  farmer's  work,  such  as  thatching, 
hedging,  ditching  and  the  like.  Nevertheless,  he  found 
time  to  read  his  Bible,  and  bring  up  his  only  daughter 
religiously.     This  daughter  was  myself." 

"  What  had  become  of  your  mother  ? "  I  asked,  as  I 
thought  it  strange  Mrs  Reichardt  should  only  mention  one 
parent. 

"  She  had  died  very  soon  after  my  birth,"  she  answered, 
"  and  I  was  left  at  first  to  the  care  of  a  poor  woman,  who 
nursed  me ;  as  soon,  however,  as  I  could  run  about,  and 
had  exhibited  some  signs  of  intelligence,  my  father  began 
to  get  so  partial  to  me,  that  he  very  reluctantly  allowed  me 
to  go  out  of  his  sight.  He  took  great  pains  in  teaching  me 
what  he  knew,  and  though  the  extent  of  his  acquirements 
was  by  no  means  great,  it  was  sufficient  to  lay  a  good 
foundation,  and  establish  a  desire  for  more  comprehensive 
information,  which  I  sought  every  available  means  to  obtain. 
*'  I  remember  that  at  a  very  early  age  I  exhibited  an 
extraordinary  curiosity  for  a  child ;  constantly  asking 
questions,  not  only  of  my  father,  but  of  all  his  friends  and 
visitors,  and,  as  they  seemed  to  consider  me  a  quick  and 
lively  child,  they  took  pleasure  in  satisfying  my  inquisitive 
spirit.  In  this  way  I  gained  a  great  deal  of  knowledge, 
and,  by  observation  of  what  passed  around  me,  a  great 
deal  more. 

"  It  soon  became  a  source  of  pride  and  gratification  with 
my  father,  to  ask  me  to  read  the  Bible  to  him.  This 
naturally  led  to  a  good  many  inquiries  on  my  part,  and 
numerous  explanations  on  his.  In  course  of  time,  I  became 
familiar  with  all  the  sacred  writings,  and  knew  their  spirit 
and  meaning  much  better  than  many  persons  who  were 
more  than  double  my  age. 

"  My  fondness  for  such  studies,  and  consequent  reputa- 


The  Little  Savage  171 

tion,  attracted  the  attention  of  Dr  Brightwell,  the  clergy- 
man of  our  parish,  who  had  the  kindness  to  let  me  share 
the  instructions  of  his  children,  and  still  further  advanced 
my  education,  and  still  more  increased  my  natural  predilec- 
tion for  religious  information.  By  the  time  I  was  thirteen, 
I  became  quite  a  prodigy  in  Christian  learning,  and  was 
often  sent  for  to  the  parsonage,  to  astonish  the  great  people 
of  the  neighbourhood,  by  the  facility  with  which  I  answered 
the  most  puzzling  questions  that  were  put  to  me,  respect- 
ing the  great  mysteries  of  Christianity. 


Chapter  XXX 

It  was  about  this  time  that  I  first  became  acquainted  with 
an  orphan  boy,  an  inmate  of  the  workhouse,  who  had  been 
left  to  the  care  of  the  parish  by  the  sudden  death  of  his 
parents,  a  German  clock-maker  and  his  wife,  from  a 
malignant  fever  which  had  visited  the  neighbourhood,  and 
taken  off  a  considerable  portion  of  the  labouring  popula- 
tion. I  had  been  sent  on  errands  from  my  father,  to  the 
master  of  the  workhouse,  a  severe,  sullen  man,  of  whom  I 
had  a  great  dread,  and  I  noticed  this  child,  in  consequence 
of  his  pale  and  melancholy  countenance,  and  apparently 
miserable  condition.  I  observed  that  no  one  took  any 
notice  of  him  ;  and  that  he  was  allowed  to  wander  about  the 
great  straggling  workhouse,  among  the  insane,  the  idiotic, 
and  the  imbecile,  without  the  slightest  attention  being  paid 
to  his  going  and  coming  ;  in  short,  he  lived  the  wretched 
life  of  a  workhouse  boy. 

**  I  see  that  you  are  eager  to  ask  what  is  a  workhouse 
boy,"  said  my  mother,  "  so  I  will  anticipate  your  question. 
There  is,  in  the  various  parishes  of  the  country  to  which 
we  both  belong,  a  building  expressly  set  apart  for  the  ac- 
commodation and  support  of  the  destitute  and  disabled 
poor.  It  usually  contains  inmates  of  all  ages,  from  the  infant 
just  born,  to  the  very  aged,  whose  infirmities  shew  them  to 


172  The  Little  Savage 

be  on  the  verge  of  the  grave.  They  are  all  known  to  be 
in  a  state  of  helpless  poverty,  and  quite  unable  to  earn  a 
subsistence  for  themselves.  In  this  building  they  are 
clothed  and  fed ,  the  younger  provided  with  instruction 
necessary  to  put  them  in  the  way  of  earning  a  livelihood  ; 
the  elders  of  the  community  enjoying  the  consolations  of 
religion,  accorded  to  them  by  the  regular  visits  of  the 
chaplain." 

"  I  suppose,"  I  here  observed,  "  that  the  people  who 
lived  there,  were  deeply  impressed  with  their  good  fortune 
in  finding  such  an  asylum  .?  " 

"  As  far  as  I  could  ever  ascertain,"  Mrs  Reichardt 
replied,  **  it  was  exactly  the  reverse.  It  was  always 
thought  so  degrading  to  enter  a  workhouse,  that  the 
industrious  labourer  would  endure  any  and  every  privation 
rather  than  live  there.  An  honest  hard-working  man 
must  be  sorely  driven  indeed,  to  seek  such  a  shelter  in  his 
distress." 

"  That  seems  strange,"  I  observed.  "  Why  should 
he  object  to  receive  what  he  so  much  stands  in  need  of  ?  " 

"  When  he  thus  comes  upon  the  funds  of  the  parish," 
answered  my  mother,  **  he  becomes  what  is  called  a  pauper, 
and  among  the  English  peasantry  of  the  better  sort,  there  . 
is  the  greatest  possible  aversion  to  be  ranked  with  this 
degraded  class.  Consequently,  the  inmates  of  the  work- 
houses are  either  those  whose  infirmities  prevent  their 
earning  a  subsistence,  or  the  idle  and  the  dissolute,  who  feel 
none  of  the  honest  prejudices  of  self-dependence,  and  care 
only  to  live  from  day  to  day  on  the  coarse  and  meagre  fare 
afforded  them  by  the  charity  of  their  wealthier  and  more 
industrious  fellow-creatures. 

**  The  case  of  this  poor  boy  I  thought  very  pitiable.  I 
found  out  that  his  name  was  Heinrich  Reichardt.  He 
could  speak  no  language  but  his  own,  and  therefore  his 
wants  remained  unknown,  and  his  feelings  unregarded. 
He  had  been  brought  up  with  a  certain  sense  of  comfort 
and  decency,  which  was  cruelly  outraged  by  the  position 
in  which  he  found  himself  placed  by  the  sudden  death  of 


^ 


The  Little  Savage  173 

his  parents.  I  observed  that  he  was  often  in  tears,  and  his 
fair  features  and  hght  hair  contrasted  remarkably  with  the 
squalid  faces  and  matted  locks  of  his  companions.  His 
wretchedness  never  failed  to  make  a  deep  impression  on  me. 

"  I  brought  him  little  presents,  and  strove  to  express  my 
sympathy  for  his  sufferings.  He  seemed,  at  first,  more 
surprised  than  grateful,  but  I  shortly  discovered  that  my 
attentions  gave  him  unusual  pleasure,  and  he  looked  upon 
my  visits  as  his  only  solace  and  gratification. 

"  Even  at  this  period  I  exercised  considerable  influence 
over  my  father,  and  I  managed  to  interest  him  in  the  case 
of  the  poor  foreign  boy  to  such  an  extent,  that  he  was  in- 
duced to  take  him  out  of  the  workhouse,  and  find  him  a  home 
under  his  own  roof.  He  was  at  first  reluctant  to  burthen 
himself  with  the  bringing  up  of  a  child,  who,  from  his 
foreign  language  and  habits,  could  be  of  little  use  to  him 
in  his  avocations ;  but  I  promised  to  teach  him  English, 
and  all  other  learning  of  which  he  stood  most  in  need,  and 
assured  my  father  that  in  a  prodigious  short  time  I  would 
make  him  a  much  abler  assistant  than  he  was  likely  to  find 
among  the  boys  of  the  town. 

"  My  father's  desire  to  please  me,  rather  than  any  faith 
he  reposed  in  my  assertions,  led  him  to  allow  me  to  do  as 
I  pleased  in  this  affair.  I  lost  no  time,  therefore,  in 
beginning  my  course  of  instruction,  and  in  a  few  weeks 
ascertained  that  I  had  an  apt  pupil,  who  was  determined  to 
proceed  with  his  education  as  fast  as  circumstances  would 
admit.  We  were  soon  able  to  express  our  ideas  to  each 
other,  and  in  a  few  months  read  together  the  book  out  of 
which  I  had  received  so  many  invaluable  lessons. 

"In  a  short  time,  I  became  not  less  proud  of,  than 
partial  to,  my  pupil.  I  took  him  through  the  same  studies 
which  I  had  pursued  under  the  auspices  of  our  clergyman, 
and  was  secretly  pleased  to  find,  not  only  that  he  was 
singularly  quick  in  imbibing  my  instructions,  but  displayed 
a  strong  natural  taste  for  those  investigations  towards 
which  I  had  shown  so  marked  a  bias. 

"  Day  after  day  have  we  sat  together  discoursing  of  the 


174  The  Little  Savage 

great  events  recorded  in  Holy  Writ :  going  over  every 
chapter  of  its  marvellous  records,  page  by  page,  till  the 
whole  was  so  firmly  fixed  upon  our  minds,  that  we  had 
no  necessity  during  our  conversations  for  referring  to  the 
Sacred  Book.  We  found  examples  we  held  up  to  ourselves 
for  imitation ;  we  found  incidents  we  regarded  as  promises 
of  Divine  protection ;  we  found  consolation  and  comfort, 
as  well  as  exhortation  and  advice ;  and,  moreover,  we 
found  a  sort  of  instruction  that  led  us  to  select  for  our- 
selves duties  that  apparently  tended  to  bring  us  nearer  to 
the  Great  Being  whose  goodness  we  had  so  diligently 
studied. 

«•'  My  father  seemed  as  much  pleased  with  my  successful 
teaching,  as  he  had  been  with  my  successful  learning ;  and 
when  young  Reichardt  turned  out  a  remarkably  handy  and 
intelligent  lad,  to  whose  assistance  in  some  of  his  avoca- 
tions he  could  have  recourse  with  perfect  confidence  in 
his  cleverness  and  discretion,  he  grew  extremely  partial 
to  him.  Dr  Brightwell  also  proved  his  friend,  and  in  a 
few  years,  the  condition  of  the  friendless  workhouse  boy 
was  so  changed,  he  could  not  have  been  taken  for  the  same 
person. 

"  He  was  a  boy  of  a  very  grateful  spirit,  and  always 
regarded  me  with  the  devotion  of  a  most  thankful  heart. 
Often  would  he  contrast  the  wretchedness  of  his  previous 
condition,  with  the  happiness  he  now  enjoyed,  and  express 
in  the  warmest  terms  his  obligations  to  me  for  the  import- 
ant service  I  had  rendered  him  in  rescuing  him  from  the 
abject  misery  of  the  workhouse.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, it  is  not  extraordinary,  that  we  should  learn  to 
regard  each  other  with  the  liveliest  feelings  of  affection, 
and  while  we  were  still  children,  endured  all  the  trans- 
ports and  torments  which  make  up  the  existence  of  more 
experienced  lovers." 

"  I  do  not  like  interrupting  you,"  I  here  observed,  "  but 
I  certainly  should  like  to  know  what  is  meant  by  the  word 
lovers  ? " 

"  I  can  scarcely  explain  it  to  you  satisfactorily  at  present," 


4 


The  Little  Savage  175 

said  Mrs  Reichardt,  with  a  smile  ;  "  but  I  have  no  doubt, 
before  many  years  have  passed  over  your  head — always 
provided  that  you  escape  from  this  island — you  will  under- 
stand it  without  requiring  any  explanation.  But  I  must 
now  leave  my  story,  as  many  things  of  much  consequence 
to  our  future  welfare  now  demand  my  careful  attention." 

I  could  not  then  ascertain  from  her  what  was  meant  by 
the  word  whose  meaning  I  had  asked.  It  had  very  much 
excited  my  curiosity,  but  she  left  me  to  attend  to  her 
domestic  duties,  of  which  she  was  extremely  regardful, 
and  I  had  no  opportunity  at  that  time  of  eliciting  from  her 
the  explanation  I  desired. 


Chapter  XXXI 

It  is  impossible  for  me  to  overrate  the  value  of  Mrs 
Reichardt's  assistance.  Indeed  had  it  not  been  for  her, 
circumstanced  as  I  was  at  this  particular  period,  I  should 
in  all  probability  have  perished.  Her  exhortations  saved 
me  from  despair,  v/hen  our  position  seemed  to  have  grown 
quite  desperate.  But  example  did  more,  even,  than 
precept.  Her  ingenuity  in  devising  expedients,  her  activity 
in  putting  them  in  force,  her  unfailing  cheerfulness  under 
disappointment,  and  Christian  resignation  under  privation, 
produced  the  best  results.  I  was  enabled  to  bear  up 
against  the  ill  effects  of  our  crippled  resources,  consequent 
upon  the  ill  conduct  of  the  sailors  of  the  whaler,  and  the 
failure  of  our  fish-pond. 

She  manufactured  strong  lines  for  deep  sea  fishing,  and 
having  discovered  a  shelf  of  rock,  little  more  than  two  feet 
above  the  sea,  to  which  with  a  good  deal  of  difficulty  I 
could  descend,  I  took  my  stand  one  day  on  the  rock  with 
my  lines  baited  with  a  piece  of  one  of  my  feathered 
favourites,  whom  dire  necessity  had  at  last  forced  me 
to  destroy.  I  waited  with  all  the  patience  of  a  veteran 
angler.     I  knew  the  water  to  be  very  deep,  and  it  lay  in  a 


176  The  Little  Savage 

sheltered  nook  or  corner  of  the  rocks  about  ten  feet 
across  ;  I  allowed  the  line  to  drop  some  three  or  four 
yards,  and  not  having  any  float,  could  only  tell  I  had  a 
bite  by  feeling  a  pull  at  the  line,  which  was  wound  round 
my  arm. 

After  some  time  having  been  passed  in  this  way,  my 
attention  was  withdrawn  from  the  line,  and  given  to  the 
narrative  I  had  so  lately  heard — that  is  to  say,  though  my 
eyes  were  still  fixed  upon  the  line,  I  had  completely  given 
up  my  thoughts  to  the  story  of  the  poor  German  boy,  who 
had  been  snatched  from  poverty  by  the  interference  of  the 
parish  clerk's  daughter,  and  I  contrived  to  speculate  on 
what  I  should  have  done  under  such  circumstances, 
imagining  all  sorts  of  extravagances  in  which  I  should 
have  indulged,  to  testify  my  gratitude  to  so  amiable  and 
benevolent  a  friend. 

A  singular  course  of  ideal  scenes  followed  each  other  in 
quick  succession  in  my  mind — as  I  fancied  myself  the  hero 
of  a  similar  adventure.  I  regarded  my  imaginary  benefac- 
tress with  feelings  of  such  intensity  as  I  had  never  before 
experienced  ;  and  it  seemed  that  I  was  to  her  the  exciting 
object  of  sentiments  of  a  like  nature,  the  knowledge  of 
which  awoke  in  our  hearts  the  most  agreeable  sensations. 

I  was  rudely  disturbed  out  of  this  day-dream  by  finding 
myself  suddenly  plunged  into  the  deep  water  beneath  me. 
The  shock  was  so  startling,  that  some  seconds  elapsed 
before  I  could  comprehend  my  situation ;  and  then  it 
became  clear  that  I  must  have  hooked  a  fish,  that  had  not 
only  succeeded  in  pulling  me  off  my  balance,  but  the  line 
by  which  he  was  held  being  round  my  arm,  cutting  pain- 
fully into  the  flesh,  threatened  drowning  by  keeping  me 
under  water.  With  great  difficulty  I  managed  to  rise  to 
the  surface,  and  loosened  the  windings  of  the  line  from 
my  limb  ;  then,  anxious  to  retain  possession  of  what  from 
its  force  must  have  been  a  fish  well  worth  some  trouble  in 
catching,  I  held  on  with  both  hands,  and  pulled  with  all 
my  strength. 

At  first,  by  main  force  I  was  drawn  through  the  water  j 


The  Little  Savage  177 

then  when  I  found  the  strain  slacken,  I  drew  in  the  line. 
This  manoeuvre  was  repeated  several  times,  till  I  succeeded 
in  obtaining  a  view  of  what  I  had  caught ;  or,  more 
properly  speaking,  of  what  had  caught  me.  It  was  merely 
a  glimpse  ;  for  the  fish,  which  was  a  very  large  one, 
getting  a  sight  of  me  within  a  few  yards  of  him,  made 
some  desperate  plunges,  and  again  darted  off,  dragging  me 
along  with  him,  sometimes  under  the  water,  and  sometimes 
on  the  surface. 

His  body  was  nearly  round,  and  about  seven  or  eight 
feet  long  —  rather  a  formidable  antagonist  for  close 
quarters  ;  nevertheless,  I  was  most  eager  to  get  at  him, 
the  more  so,  when  I  ascertained  that  his  resistance  was 
evidently  decreasing.  I  continued  to  approach,  and  at  last 
got  near  enough  to  plunge  my  knife  up  to  the  haft  in  his 
head,  which  at  once  put  an  end  to  the  struggle. 

But  now  another  difficulty  presented  itself.  In  the 
ardour  of  the  chase  I  had  been  drawn  nearly  a  mile  from 
the  island,  and  I  found  it  impossible  to  carry  back  the 
produce  of  my  sport,  exhausted  as  I  was  by  the  efforts 
I  had  made  in  capturing  him.  I  knew  I  could  not  swim 
with  such  a  burthen  for  the  most  inconsiderable  portion 
of  the  distance.  My  fish  therefore  must  be  abandoned. 
Here  was  a  bountiful  supply  of  food,  as  soon  as  placed 
within  reach,  rendered  totally  unavailable. 

I  thought  of  Mrs  Reichardt.  I  thought  how  gratified 
she  would  have  been,  could  I  have  brought  to  her  such  an 
excellent  addition  to  our  scanty  stock  of  food.  Then  I 
thought  of  her  steadfast  reliance  upon  Providence,  and 
what  valuable  lessons  of  piety  and  wisdom  she  would  read 
me,  if  she  found  me  depressed  by  my  disappointment. 


Chapter  XXXH 

As  soon  as  I  could  disconnect  my  tackle  from  the  dead 
fish,  I  turned  my  face  homewards,  and  struck  out  manfully 

L.S.  M 


lyS  The  Little  Savage 

for  the  shore ;  luckily  I  did  not  observe  any  sharks. 
I  landed  safely  without  further  adventure,  and  immediately 
sought  my  kind  friend  and  companion,  whom  I  found,  as 
usual,  industriously  employed  in  endeavouring  to  secure 
me  additional  comforts.  If  she  was  not  engaged  in 
ordinary  women's  work,  making,  mending,  cleaning,  or 
improving,  in  our  habitation,  she  was  sure  to  be  found 
doing  something  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood,  which, 
though  less  feminine,  shewed  no  less  forethought,  prudence, 
and  sagacity. 

Our  garden  had  prospered  wonderfully  under  her  hands. 
The  ground  seemed  now  stocked  with  various  kinds  of 
vegetation,  of  which  I  neither  knew  the  value,  nor  the 
proper  mode  of  cultivation  ;  and  we  seemed  about  to  be 
surrounded  with  shrubs  and  plants — many  of  very  pleasing 
appearance — that  must  in  a  short  time  entirely  change  the 
aspect  of  the  place. 

She  heard  my  adventure  with  a  good  deal  of  interest, 
only  remonstrating  with  me  upon  my  want  of  caution, 
and  dwelling  upon  the  fatal  consequences  that  must 
have  ensued  to  herself,  had  I  been  drowned  or  dis- 
abled by  falling  from  the  rock,  or  devoured  by  the 
sharks. 

"  You  may  consider  yourself,  my  dear  son,"  she  ob- 
served, with  serious  earnestness,  "  to  have  been  under  the 
Divine  care.  Nothing  can  be  clearer  than  that  a  wise  and 
kind  Providence  is  continually  watching  over  his  creatures 
when  placed  in  unusual  or  perilous  circumstances.  He 
occasionally  affords  them  manifestations  of  his  favour,  to 
encourage  them  when  engaged  in  good  works.  This 
shews  the  comprehensive  eye  of  the  master  of  many 
workmen,  who  overlooks  the  labours  of  his  more  indus- 
trious servants,  and  indicates  to  them  his  regard  for  their 
welfare  and  appreciation  of  their  labours." 

'*  But  surely,"  I  interposed,  "  if  I  had  been  under  the 
superintendence  of  the  Providence  of  which  you  speak,  I 
should  not  have  been  obliged  to  abandon  so  capital  a  fish, 
when  I  had  endured  such  trouble  to  capture  it,  and  when 


The  Little  Savage  179 

its  possession  was  so  necessary  to  our  comfort,  nay,  even 
to  our  existence." 

"  The  very  abandonment  of  so  unwieldy  a  creature," 
she  replied,  "  is  unanswerable  evidence  of  a  Divine  inter- 
position in  your  favour  ;  for  had  you  persisted  in  your 
intention  of  carrying  it  to  the  shore,  there  is  but  little 
doubt  that  its  weight  would  have  overpowered  you,  and 
that  you  would  have  been  drowned ;  and  then  what 
would  have  become  of  me  ?  A  woman  left  in  this  desolate 
spot  to  her  own  resources,  must  soon  be  forced  to  give  up 
the  struggle  for  existence,  from  want  of  physical  strength. 
Nevertheless,  there  are  numerous  instances  on  record,  of 
women  having  surmounted  hardships  which  few  men 
could  endure.  Supported  by  our  Heavenly  Father,  who 
is  so  powerful  a  protector  of  the  weak,  and  friend  of  the 
helpless,  the  weakest  of  our  weak  sex  may  triumph  over 
the  most  intolerable  sufferings.  I,  however,  am  not  over 
confident  of  being  so  supported,  and  therefore,  I  think  it 
would  be  but  shewing  a  proper  consideration  for  your 
fellow  exile,  to  act  in  every  emergency  with  as  much 
circumspection  and  prudence  as  possible." 

I  promised  that  for  the  future  I  would  run  no  such 
risks,  and  added  many  professions  of  regard  for  her  safety. 
They  had  the  desired  effect ;  I  pretended  to  think  no  more 
of  my  disappointment,  nevertheless,  I  found  myself 
constantly  dwelling  on  the  size  of  my  lost  fish,  and 
lamenting  my  being  obliged  to  abandon  him  to  his  more 
voracious  brethren  of  the  deep.  These  thoughts  so  filled 
my  mind  that  at  night  I  continued  to  dream  over  again  the 
whole  incident,  beginning  with  my  patient  angling  from 
the  rock,  and  concluding  with  my  disconsolate  swim  to 
shore — and  pursued  my  scaly  antagonist  quite  as  deter- 
minedly in  my  sleep  as  I  had  done  in  the  deep  waters. 

I  rose  early  after  having  passed  so  disturbed  a  night, 
and  soon  made  my  way  to  the  usual  haunt  of  Nero,  whomt 
I  discovered  in  the  sea  near  the  rocks  making  all  sorts  of 
strange  tumblings  and  divings,  apparently  after  some  dark 
object  that  was  floating  in  the  water.     I  called  him  away. 


i8o  The  Little  Savage 

to  examine  what  it  was  that  had  so  attracted  his  attention,, 
and  my  surprise  may  be  imagined  when  I  made  out  the 
huge  form  of  my  enemy  of  the  preceding  day.  My 
shouts  and  exclamations  of  joy  soon  brought  Mrs  Reichardt 
to  the  scene,  and  when  she  discovered  the  shape  of  this 
prodigious  fish,  her  surprise  seemed  scarcely  less  than 
my  own. 

How  to  land  him  was  our  first  consideration  ;  and  after 
some  debate  on  the  ways  and  means,  I  got  a  rope  and 
leaped  into  the  water  with  it,  fastened  a  noose  round  his 
gills,  and  then  swimming  back  and  climbing  the  rock  ;  we 
jointly  tried  to  pull  him  up  on  to  the  shore.  We  hauled 
and  tugged  with  all  our  force  for  a  considerable  time,  but 
to  very  little  effect ;  he  was  too  heavy  to  pull  up  perpen- 
dicularly. At  last  we  managed  to  drag  him  to  a  low 
piece  of  rock,  and  there  I  divided  him  into  several  pieces, 
which  Mrs  Reichardt  carried  away  to  dry  and  preserve  in 
some  way  that  she  said  would  make  the  fish  capital  eating 
all  the  year  round. 

It  was  very  palatable  when  dressed  by  her,  and  as  she 
changed  the  manner  of  cooking  several  times,  I  never  got 
tired  of  it.  By  its  flavour,  as  far  as  I  could  judge  from 
subsequent  knowledge,  the  creature  was  something  of  the 
sturgeon  kind  of  fish,  but  its  proper  name  I  never  could 
learn  ;  nor  was  I  ever  able  to  catch  another,  therefore,  I 
must  presume  that  it  was  a  stranger  in  those  seas.  Never- 
theless, he  proved  most  acceptable  to  us  both,  for  we 
should  have  fared  but  ill  for  some  time,  had  it  not  been 
for  his  providential  capture. 

It  was  one  afternoon,  when  we  had  been  enjoying  a 
capital  meal  at  the  expense  of  our  great  friend,  that  I  led 
the  subject  to  Mrs  Reichardt's  adventures,  subsequently 
to  where  she  broke  off  in  the  story  of  herself  and  the  poor 
German  boy  ;  and  though  not  without  considerable  reluc- 
tance, I  induced  her  to  proceed  with  her  narrative. 


The  Little  Savage  i8i 


Chapter  XXXIII 

^'  Our  good  minister  Dr  Brightwell,"  she  commenced, 
**  was  a  man  of  considerable  scholastic  attainments,  and  he 
delighted  in  making  a  display  of  them.  At  one  time,  he 
had  been  master  of  an  extensive  grammar  school,  and  nov/ 
he  employed  a  good  deal  of  his  leisure  in  teaching  those 
boys  and  girls  of  the  town,  who  indicated  the  possession 
of  anything  like  talent.  The  overseers  used  to  talk 
jestingly  to  my  father  of  the  Doctor  teaching  plough-boys 
Greek  and  Latin ;  and  wenches,  whose  chief  employment 
was  stone-picking  in  the  fields,  geography  and  the  use  of 
the  globes.  Even  the  churchwardens  shook  their  heads, 
and  privately  thought  the  Rector  a  little  out  of  his  seven 
senses  for  wasting  his  learning  upon  such  unprofitable 
scholars.  Nevertheless,  he  continued  his  self-imposed 
task,  without  meeting  any  reward  beyond  the  satisfaction 
of  his  own  conscience.  It  was  not  till  he  added  to  his 
pupils  myself  and  young  Reichardt,  that  he  felt  he  was 
doing  his  duty  with  some  prospect  of  advantage. 

"  The  spirit  of  emulation  roused  both  of  us  to  make 
extraordinary  efforts  to  second  our  worthy  master's 
endeavours  :  and  this  did  not,  as  is  usually  the  case,  pro- 
ceed from  rivalry — it  arose  entirely  from  a  desire  of  the 
one  to  stand  well  in  the  estimation  of  the  other.  In  this 
way  we  learned  the  French  and  Latin  languages, 
geography,  and  the  usual  branches  of  a  superior  education  : 
but  our  bias  was  more  particularly  for  religious  knowledge, 
and  our  preceptor  encouraged  this,  till  we  were  almost  as 
good  theologians  as  himself. 

"  While  this  information  was  being  carefully  arranged 
and  digested,  there  sprung  up  in  our  hearts  so  deep  a 
devotion  for  each  other,  that  we  were  miserable  when 
absent  and  enjoyed  no  gratification  so  much  as  being  in 
each  other's  society.  We  knew  not  then  the  full  power 
and  meaning  of  this  preference,  but,  as  we  changed  from 


1 82  The  Little  Savage 

boy  and  girl-hood  to  adult  life,  our  feelings  developed 
themselves  into  that  attachment  between  the  sexes,  which 
from  time  immemorial  has  received  the  name  of  love." 

**  I  think  I  know  what  that  means,  now,"  said  I,  as  my 
day-dream,  which  was  so  rudely  disturbed  by  my  fall  into 
the  sea  occurred  to  me. 

"  It  would  be  strange  if  you  did,"  she  replied,  "  con- 
sidering that  it  is  quite  impossible  you  should  have  become 
acquainted  with  it." 

"  Yes,  I  am  certain  I  understand  it  very  well,"  I  rejoined, 
more  confidently,  and  then  added,  not  without  some 
embarrassment,  *'  If  I  were  placed  in  the  position  of 
Heinrich  Reichardt,  I  am  quite  sure  I  should  feel  towards 
any  young  female,  who  was  so  kind  to  me,  the  deepest 
regard  and  affection.  I  should  like  to  be  constantly  near 
her,  and  should  always  desire  that  she  should  like  me  better 
than  anyone  else." 

"  That  is  quite  as  good  an  explanation  of  the  matter,  as 
I  could  expect  from  you,"  she  observed,  smiling.  "  But 
to  return  to  my  story.  Our  mutual  attachment  attracted 
general  attention,  and  was  the  subject  of  much  observation. 
But  we  had  no  enemies  :  and  when  we  were  met  strolling 
together  in  the  shady  lanes,  gathering  wild  flowers,  or 
wandering  through  the  woods  in  search  of  wild  straw- 
berries, no  one  thought  it  necessary  to  make  any  remark 
if  we  had  our  arms  round  each  other's  waist.  My 
father,  if  he  heard  anything  about  it,  did  not  interfere. 
Young  Reichardt  had  made  himself  so  useful  to  him,  and 
shewed  himself  so  remarkably  clever  in  everything  he 
undertook,  that  the  old  man  loved  him  as  his  own  son. 

"  It  was  a  settled  thing  between  us,  that  we  were  to 
become  man  and  wife,  as  soon  as  we  should  be  permitted.. 
And  many  were  our  plans  and  schemes  for  the  future. 
Heinrich  considered  himself  to  be  in  the  position  of  Jacob, 
who  served  such  a  long  and  patient  apprenticeship  for 
Rachel ;  and  though  he  confessed  he  should  not  like  to 
wait  so  long  for  his  wife  as  the  patriarch  had  been  made  to 
do,  he  acknowledged  he  would  rather  serve  my  father  to 


The  Little  Savage  183 

the  full  period,  than  give  up  all  hope  of  possessing 
me. 

"This  happy  state  of  things  was,  however,  suddenly- 
put  an  end  to,  by  Dr  Brightwell  one  day  sending  for  my 
father.  It  was  a  long  time  before  he  came  back,  and  when 
he  did,  he  looked  unusually  grave  and  reserved.  In  an 
hour  or  so  he  communicated  to  me  the  result  of  his  long 
interview  with  the  Rector.  The  Doctor  had  resolved  to 
send  young  Reichardt  to  a  distant  place,  where  many 
learned  men  lived  together  in  colleges,  for  the  purpose  of 
further  advancing  his  education,  and  fitting  him  for  a 
religious  teacher,  to  which  vocation  he  had  long  expressed 
a  desire  to  devote  himself.  The  idea  of  separation  seemed 
very  terrible,  but  I  at  last  got  reconciled  to  it,  in  the  belief 
that  it  would  be  greatly  for  Heinrich's  advantage,  and  we 
parted  at  last  with  many  tears,  many  protestations,  some 
fears,  but  a  great  many  more  hopes. 

**  For  some  days  after  he  had  left  me,  everything  seemed 
so  strange,  every  one  seemed  so  dull,  every  place  seemed 
so  desolate,  that  I  felt  as  if  I  had  been  transported  into 
some  dismal  scene,  where  I  knew  no  one,  and  where  there 
was  no  one  likely  to  care  about  me  in  the  slightest  degree. 
My  father  went  about  his  avocations  in  a  different  spirit 
to  what  he  had  so  long  been  used  to  exhibit ;  it  was 
evident  he  missed  Heinrich  as  much  as  I  did,  and  the 
villagers  stared  whenever  I  passed  them — as  though  my 
ever  going  about  without  Heinrich,  was  something  which 
they  had  never  anticipated. 

"  In  course  of  time,  however,  to  all  appearance,  every- 
thing and  every  one  went  on  in  their  daily  course,  as 
though  no  Heinrich  had  ever  been  heard  of.  My  father 
would  sometimes,  when  overpressed  by  business,  refer  to 
the  able  assistant  he  had  lost,  and  now  and  then  I  heard  a 
conjecture  hazarded  by  some  one  or  other  of  his  most  con- 
fidential friends,  as  to  what  young  Reichardt  was  doing 
with  himself.  My  conjectures,  and  my  references  to  him, 
were  far  from  being  so  occasional ;  there  was  scarce  an 
hour  of  the  day  I  did  not  think  of  him  ;  but,  believing  that 


184  The  Little  Savage 

I  should  please  him  most  by  endeavouring  to  improve  as 
much  as  possible  during  his  absence,  I  did  not  give  myself 
up  to  idle  reflections  respecting  the  past,  or  anticipations, 
equally  idle,  respecting  the  future. 

"  My  great  delight  was  in  hearing  from  him.  At  first, 
his  letters  expressed  only  his  feelings  for  me  ;  then  he 
dwelt  more  largely  on  his  own  exertions  for  preparing 
himself  for  the  profession  he  desired  to  adopt ;  and  after 
a  time,  his  correspondence  was  almost  entirely  composed 
of  expositions  of  his  views  of  a  religious  life,  and  dis- 
sertations on  various  points  of  doctrine.  He  evidently 
was  growing  more  enthusiastic  in  religion,  and  less 
regardful  of  our  attachment. 

*'  Yet  I  entertained  no  apprehensions  or  misgivings. 
I  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  consider  myself  slighted 
because  the  thoughts  of  my  future  husband  were  evidently 
raised  more  and  more  above  me  5  the  knowledge  of  this 
only  made  me  more  anxious  to  raise  myself  more  and  more 
towards  the  elevation  to  which  his  thoughts  were  so 
intently  directed. 

"  Things  went  on  in  this  way  for  two  or  three  years. 
I  never  saw  him  all  this  time ;  I  heard  from  him  but 
seldom.  He  excused  his  limited  correspondence  on  the 
plea  that  his  studies  left  him  no  time  for  writing.  I  never 
blamed  him  for  this  apparent  neglect — indeed  I  rather 
encouraged  it,  for  my  exhortations  were  always  that  he 
should  address  his  time  and  energies  towards  the 
attainment  of  the  object  I  knew  him  to  have  so  much 
at  heart  —  his  becoming  a  minister  of  our  Lord's 
Gospel. 

"  One  day  my  father  came  home  from  the  rectory  with 
a  troubled  countenance.  Dr  Brightwell  was  very  indignant 
because  Heinrich  had  joined  a  religious  community  that 
dissented  from  the  Articles  of  the  Church  of  England. 
The  Doctor  had  offered  to  get  him  employment  in  the 
Church,  if  he  would  give  up  his  new  connections  :  but 
the  more  earnest  character  of  his  new  faith  exerted  so 
much   influence    over    his    enthusiastic    nature,    that   he 


The  Little  Savage  185 

willingly  abandoned  his  bright  prospects  to  become  a 
more  humble  labourer  in  a  less  productive  vineyard. 

"  My  father,  as  the  clerk  of  the  parish,  seemed  to 
think  himself  bound  to  share  in  the  indignation  of  his 
pastor  for  this  desertion,  and  Heinrich  was  severely 
condemned  by  him  for  displaying  such  ingratitude  to  his 
benefactor :  I  was  commanded  to  think  no  more  of  him. 

"This,  however,  was  not  so  easy  a  matter,  although 
our  correspondence  appeared  to  have  entirely  ceased.  I 
knew  not  where  to  address  a  letter  to  him,  and  was 
quite  unaware  of  what  his  future  career  was  now 
to  be. 


Chapter  XXXIV 

*'  Time  passed  on.  With  all,  except  myself,  Heinrich 
Reichardt  appeared  to  be  forgotten ,  in  the  opinion  of  all, 
except  myself,  he  had  forgotten  our  house,  and  all  the 
friends  he  had  once  made  there.  Our  good  Rector  had 
been  removed  by  death  from  the  post  he  had  so  ably 
filled ;  and  my  father  being  incapacitated  by  age  and 
infirmity  from  attending  his  duties  in  the  church,  had  his 
place  filled  by  another.  He  had  saved  sufficient  to  live 
upon,  and  had  built  himself  a  small  cottage  at  the  end  of 
the  village,  where  we  lived  together  in  perfect  peace,  if 
not  in  perfect  happiness. 

'"  I  had  long  grown  up  to  womanhood,  and  having 
some  abilities,  had  been  employed  as  one  of  the  teachers 
of  the  girls'  school,  of  which  I  had  raised  myself  to  be 
mistress.  I  conducted  myself  so  as  to  win  the  respect  of 
the  chief  parochial  officers,  from  more  than  one  of  whom 
I  received  proposals  of  marriage  :  but  I  never  could 
reconcile  myself  to  the  idea  of  becoming  the  wife  of  any 
man  but  the  long-absent  Heinrich,  and  the  new  clerk  and 
the  overseer  were  fain  to  be  content  with  my  grateful 
rejection  of  their  proposals. 

"  I  determined  to  wait  patiently  till  I  could  learn  from 


1 86  The  Little  Savage 

Heinrich's  own  lips  that  he  had  abandoned  his  early  friend. 
I  could  never  get  myself  to  believe  in  the  possibility  of 
his  unfaithfulness ;  and  the  remembrances  of  our  mutual 
studies  in  the  Book  of  Truth  seemed  always  to  suggest 
the  impossibility  of  his  acting  so  completely  at  variance 
with  the  impressions  he  had  thence  received. 

"  I  was  aware  that  if  I  had  mentioned  my  hopes  of  his 
one  day  coming  to  claim  me,  I  should  be  laughed  at  by 
everyone  who  knew  anything  of  our  story — so  I  said 
nothing ;  but  continued  the  more  devotedly  in  my  heart 
to  cherish  that  faith  which  had  so  long  afforded  me 
support  against  the  overwhelming  evidence  of  prolonged 
silence  and  neglect. 

"  There  was  a  congregation  of  Dissenters  in  the  town, 
and  I  had  been  once  or  twice  prevailed  on  to  join  their 
devotions.  One  day  I  heard  that  proceedings  of  extra- 
ordinary interest  would  take  place  at  the  meeting-house. 
A  minister  of  great  reputation  had  accepted  the  situation 
of  Missionary  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen,  and 
he  was  visiting  the  different  congregations  that  lay  in  his 
route  to  the  seaport  whence  he  was  to  embark  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands.  He  was  expected  to  address  a  dis- 
course to  the  Dissenters  of  our  parish,  and  I  was  induced 
to  go  and  hear  him. 

"The  meeting-house  was  very  much  crowded,  but  I 
contrived  to  get  a  seat  within  a  short  distance  of  the 
speakers,  and  waited  with  much  interest  to  behold  the 
man,  who,  like  some  of  the  first  preachers,  had  chosen 
the  perilous  task  of  endeavouring  to  convert  a  nation 
of  savage  idolaters  to  the  faith  of  the  true  Christ. 

"  After  a  short  delay  he  appeared  on  a  raised  platform, 
and  was  introduced  to  this  congregation  by  their  minister. 
I  heard  nothing  of  this  introduction,  though  it  seemed 
a  long  one ;  I  saw  nothing  of  the  speaker,  though  his 
was  a  figure  which  always  attracted  an  attentive  audience. 
I  saw  only  the  stranger.  In  those  pale,  grave,  and 
serious  features  then  presented  to  me,  I  recognised 
Heinrich  Reichardt." 


The  Little  Savage  187 

"  He  had  come  back  to  you  at  last,"  I  exclaimed  ;  **  I 
thought  he  would.  After  all  you  had  done  for  the  poor 
German  boy,  it  was  impossible  that  he  should  grow  up 
to  manhood  and  forget  you." 

*'  You  shall  hear,"  she  replied.  "  For  some  time  my 
heart  beat  wildly,  and  I  thought  I  should  be  obliged  to 
leave  the  place,  my  sensations  became  so  overpowering  ; 
but  the  fear  of  disturbing  the  congregation,  and  of  attract- 
ing attention  towards  myself,  had  such  influence  over 
me,  that  I  managed  to  retain  sufficient  control  over  my 
feelings  to  remain  quiet.  Nevertheless,  my  eyes  were 
upon  Heinrich,  and  my  whole  heart  and  soul  were  ex- 
clusively engrossed  by  him  while  he  continued  before 
me. 

''Presently  he  began  to  speak.  As  I  have  just  said, 
I  paid  no  attention  to  the  preliminary  proceedings.  I 
know  nothing  of  the  manner  in  which  he  was  introduced 
to  his  audience ;  but  when  he  became  the  speaker,  every 
word  fell  upon  my  ear  with  ar  distinctness  that  seemed 
quite  marvellous  to  me. 

**  And  how  could  it  be  otherwise  ?  His  tall  figure, 
his  melancholy  yet  expressive  features,  his  earnest  manner, 
and  clear  and  sonorous  voice,  invested  him  with  all  the 
power  and  dignity  of  an  Apostle,  and  when  with  these 
attributes  were  joined  those  associations  of  the  past  with 
which  he  was  so  intimately  connected,  it  is  impossible  to 
exaggerate  the  influence  he  exercised  over  me. 

"  He  began  with  a  fervent  blessing  on  all  who  had 
sought  the  sanctity  of  that  roof,  and  his  hearers,  impressed 
with  the  thrilling  earnestness  of  his  delivery,  became  at 
once  hushed  into  a  kind  of  awe-struck  attention.  They 
knelt  down,  and  bowed  their  heads  in  prayer. 

**I  appeared  to  have  no  power  to  follow  the  general 
example,  but  remained  the  only  sitter  in  the  entire  con- 
gregation with  my  eyes,  nay,  all  my  senses,  fixed,  rivetted 
upon  the  preacher.  This,  of  course,  attracted  his  atten- 
tion. I  saw  him  look  towards  me  with  surprise,  then  he 
started,  his  voice  hesitated  for  a  moment,  but  he  almost 


1 88  The  Little  Savage 

immediately  continued  his  benediction,  and,  as  it  seemed 
to  me,  with  a  voice  tremulous  with  emotion. 

"Then  followed  a  discourse  on  the  object  of  the 
preacher  in  presenting  himself  there.  He  described  the 
wonderful  goodness  of  the  Creator  in  continually  raising 
up  the  most  humble  instruments  of  his  will  to  perform 
the  most  important  offices ;  in  illustration  of  which  he 
referred  to  the  numerous  instances  in  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments,  where  God's  preference  in  this  way  is  so 
clearly  manifested. 

"  He  then  stated  that  '  a  case  had  arisen  for  Divine 
interposition,  equal  in  necessity  to  any  which  had  occurred 
since  the  first  commencement  of  Christianity.'  He  ex- 
plained that  *  there  were  nations  still  existing  in  a  distant 
portion  of  the  globe  in  a  state  of  the  wildest  barbarism. 
Ignorant  savages  were  they,  with  many  cruel  and  idolatrous 
customs,  who  were  cannibals  and  murderers,  and  given 
up  to  the  v/orst  vices  of  the  heathen.  Their  abject  and 
pitiable  state,  he  told  us,  the  Lord  God  had  witnessed 
with  Divine  commiseration,  and  had  determined  that  the 
light  of  Christian  love  should  shine  upon  their  darkness, 
and  that  Almighty  wisdom  should  dissipate  their  besotted 
ignorance. 

"  *  But  who,'  he  asked,  '  was  to  be  the  ambassador 
from  so  stupendous  a  Power  to  these  barbarous  states  ? 
Yfho  would  venture  to  be  a  messenger  of  peace  and 
comfort  to  a  cruel  and  savage  nation  ?  Was  there  no 
man,'  he  again  asked,  *  great  enough  and  bold  enough 
to  undertake  a  mission  of  such  vast  importance,  attended 
by  such  terrible  risks  ? 

"  *The  Almighty  Ruler  seeks  not  for  his  ministers 
among  the  great  and  bold,'  he  added,  *  as  it  is  written. 
He  hath  put  down  the  mighty  from  their  seats,  and 
hath  exalted  the  humble  and  meek.  And  it  will  be 
peculiarly  so  on  this  occasion,  for  the  exaltation  is  from 
the  humblest  origin ;  so  humble  it  is  scarcely  possible 
to  imagine  so  miserable  a  beginning,  in  the  end  attaining 
distinction  so  honorable. 


The  Little  Savage  189 

**  *  Imagine,  if  you  can,  my  brethren,'  he  said,  '  in  the 
building  set  apart  in  your  town  for  the  reception  of  your 
destitute  poor,  a  child  parentless,  friendless,  and  money- 
less, condemned,  as  it  seemed,  to  perpetual  raggedness 
and  intolerable  suffering.  A  ministering  angel,  under 
the  direction  of  the  Supreme  Goodness,  took  that  child 
by  the  hand  and  led  it  out  of  the  pauper  walls  that 
enclosed  it,  and  under  its  auspices  the  child  grew  and 
flourished,  and  learned  all  that  was  excellent  in  faith 
and  admirable  in  practice. 

"  *  It  was  ordained  that  he  should  lose  sight  of  his 
angelic  teacher.  A  dire  necessity  compelled  him  to  with- 
draw from  that  pure  and  gracious  influence.  He  had  to 
learn  in  a  different  school,  and  prepare  himself  for  heavier 
tasks.  Manhood,  with  all  its  severe  responsibilities,  came 
upon  him.  He  sought  first  to  render  himself  competent 
for  some  holy  "undertaking,  before  he  could  consider 
himself  worthy  again  to  claim  that  notice  which  had 
made  him  what  he  was.  Earnestly  he  strove  for  the 
Divine  assistance  and  encouragement ;  and  as  his  qualifica- 
tions increased,  his  estimate  of  the  worthiness  necessary 
for  the  object  he  had  in  view,  became  more  and  more 
exalted. 

"  *  At  last,'  he  continued,  *it  became  known  to  him 
that  a  Missionary  was  required  to  explain  to  the  savage 
people  to  whom  I  have  already  alluded,  the  principles  of 
Christianity.  He  was  appointed  to  this  sacred  trust :  and 
he  then  determined,  before  he  left  this  country  for  the 
distant  one  of  his  ministry,  to  present  himself  before  that 
beneficent  being  who  had  poured  out  before  him  so 
abundant  a  measure  of  Christian  virtue ;  that  they  might 
be  joined  together  in  the  same  great  vocation,  and  support 
each  other  in  the  same  important  trust.' 

"I  heard  enough,"  continued  Mrs  Reichardt.  "All 
was  explained,  and  I  was  fully  satisfied.  The  discourse 
proceeded  to  identify  the  speaker  with  the  poor  boy  who 
had  been  preserved  for  such  onerous  duties.  Then  came 
an  appeal  to  the  congregation  for  their  prayers,  and  such 


190  The  Little  Savage 

assistance  as  they  could  afford,  to  advance  so  holy  a  work 
as  the  conversion  of  the  heathen. 

"  I  was  in  such  a  tumult  of  pleasant  feelings  that  I 
retained  but  a  confused  recollection  of  the  subsequent 
events.  I  only  remember  that  as  I  was  walking  home 
from  the  meeting,  I  heard  footsteps  quickly  following  ; 
in  a  few  minutes  more  the  voice  that  had  so  lately  filled 
my  heart  to  overflowing  with  happiness,  again  addressed 
me.  I  was  too  much  excited  to  remain  unconcerned  on 
suddenly  discovering  that  Heinrich  was  so  near,  and  I  fell 
fainting  into  his  arms. 

"  I  was  carried  into  a  neighbouring  cottage,  but  in  a 
short  time  was  enabled  to  proceed  home.  In  a  week 
afterwards  we  were  married  :  a  few  days  more  sufficed  for 
the  preparations  that  were  required  for  my  destination, 
and  then  we  proceeded  to  the  port,  and  embarked  on  board 
the  ship  that  was  to  take  us  over  many  thousand  miles  of 
sea,  to  the  wild,  unknown  country  that  was  to  be  the 
scene  of  our  mission." 


Chapter  XXXV 

Mrs  Reichardt  was  obliged  to  break  off  her  narrative, 
where  it  concluded  at  the  end  of  the  last  chapter.  As 
I  have  said,  her  household  duties,  being  very  numerous, 
and  requiring  a  great  deal  of  attention,  took  up  nearly  the 
whole  of  her  time. 

The  garden  now  presented  a  most  agreeable  appearance, 
possessing  several  different  kinds  of  vegetables,  and  various 
plants  that  had  been  raised  from  seed.  We  had  succeeded 
in  raising  several  young  orange  trees  from  the  pips  she 
had  brought  in  her  basket ;  and  they  promised  to  supply 
us  with  plenty  of  their  luscious  fruit.  Even  the  peas  we 
thought  so  dry  and  useless  had  germinated,  and  provided 
us  with  a  welcome  addition  to  our  table.     I  shall  never 


The  Little  Savage  191 

forget  the  first  day  she  added  to  our  scanty  meal  of  dried 
fish  a  dish  of  smoking  potatoes  fresh  out  of  the  moist 
earth.  After  enjoying  sufficiently  my  wonder  at  their 
appearance,  and  delist  at  their  agreeable  taste,  she  in- 
formed me  of  their  nrst  introduction  into  Europe,  and 
their  gradual  diffusion  over  the  more  civilised  portions 
of  the  globe. 

I  speak  of  Europe  now,  because  I  had  learned  from  my 
companion,  not  only  a  good  deal  of  geography,  but  had 
obtained  some  insight  into  several  other  branches  of 
knowledge.  In  particular,  she  had  told  me  much 
interesting  information  about  England,  much  more  than 
I  had  learned  from  Jackson ;  dwelling  upon  its  leading 
features,  and  the  most  remarkable  portions  of  its  history ; 
and  I  must  acknowledge  that  I  felt  a  secret  pride  in 
belonging  to  so  great  a  country. 

I  considered  that  I  belonged  to  it,  for  my  father  and 
mother  were  English,  and  though  I  might  be  called  The 
Little  Savage,  and  be  fixed  to  an  obscure  island  in  the 
great  ocean,  I  felt  that  my  real  home  was  in  this  great 
country  my  mother  talked  about  so  glowingly,  and  that 
my  chief  object  ought  to  be  to  return  into  the  hands  of 
my  grandfather  the  belt  that  had  in  so  singular  a  manner 
come  into  my  possession. 

I  often  thought  of  this  great  England  whose  glory  had 
been  so  widely  spread  and  so  durably  established,  and 
longed  for  some  means  of  leaving  our  present  abode,  and 
going  in  search  of  its  time-honoured  shores.  But  I  asked 
myself  how  was  this  desirable  object  to  be  effected  ?  We 
had  no  means  of  transporting  ourselves  from  the  prison 
into  which  we  had  been  accidentally  cast.  We  had  nothing 
resembling  a  boat  on  the  island,  and  we  had  no  tools  for 
making  one ;  and  even  had  we  been  put  in  possession  of 
such  a  treasure,  we  had  no  means  of  launching  it.  The 
rocky  character  of  the  coast  made  the  placing  of  a  boat  on 
the  water  almost  impossible. 

The  expectation  of  a  vessel  appearing  off  the  island 
appeared  quite  as  unreasonable.     We  had  seen  no  ships 


192  The  Little  Savage 

for  a  long  time,  and  those  we  had  observed  were  a  great 
deal  too  far  off  to  heed  our  signals. 

We  had  no  help  for  it,  but  to  trust  to  Providence  and 
bear  our  present  evil  patiently.  Nevertheless,  I  took  my 
glass  and  swept  the  sea  far  and  wide  in  search  of  a  ship, 
but  failed  to  discover  anything  but  a  spermaceti  whale 
blowing  in  the  distance,  or  a  shoal  of  porpoises  tumbling 
over  each  other  nearer  the  shore,  or  a  colony  of  seals 
basking  in  the  sun  on  the  rocks  nearest  the  sea.  My 
disappointment  was  shared  by  Nero,  who  seemed  to  regard 
my  vexation  with  a  sympathising  glance,  and  even  the 
gannets  turned  their  dull  stupid  gaze  upon  me,  with  an 
expression  as  if  they  deeply  commiserated  my  distress. 

I  had  for  a  long  time  employed  myself  in  making  a 
shelving  descent  to  the  sea,  on  the  most  secure  part  of  the 
rock,  intending  that  it  should  be  a  landing  place  for  a 
boat,  in  case  any  ship  should  come  near  enough  to  send 
one  to  our  rescue.  It  was  a  work  of  great  labour,  and 
hatchet  and  spade  equally  suffered  in  my  endeavours  to 
effect  my  object ;  but  at  last  I  contrived  to  take  advantage 
of  a  natural  fracture  in  the  rock,  and  a  subsequent  fall  of 
the  cliff,  to  make  a  rude  kind  of  inclined  plane,  rather  too 
steep,  and  too  rough  for  bad  climbers,  but  extremely 
convenient  for  my  mother  and  me,  whenever  we  should  be 
prepared  to  embark  for  our  distant  home. 

My  thoughts  were  now  often  directed  to  the  possibility 
of  making  on  the  island  some  kind  of  boat  that  would  hold 
ourselves  and  sufficient  provisions  for  a  voyage  to  the 
nearest  of  the  larger  islands.  I  spoke  to  Mrs  Reichardt 
on  the  subject,  but  she  dwelt  upon  the  impossibility  with- 
out either  proper  tools,  or  the  slightest  knowledge  of 
boat-building,  of  producing  a  vessel  to  which  we  could 
trust  ourselves  with  any  confidence,  neither  of  us  knowing 
anything  about  its  management  in  the  open  sea ;  and  then 
she  spoke  of  the  dangers  a  small  boat  would  meet  with,  if 
the  water  should  be  rough,  or  if  we  should  not  be  able  to 
make  the  island  in  any  reasonable  time. 

Yet  I  was  not  daunted  by  difficulties,  nor  dissuaded  by 


The  Little  Savage  193 

discouraging  representations.  I  thought  at  first  of  fasten- 
ing all  the  loose  timber  together  that  had  drifted  against 
the  rocks,  as  much  in  the  shape  of  a  boat  as  I  could  get  it, 
but  on  looking  over  my  stock  of  nails,  I  found  they  fell 
very  far  short  of  the  proper  quantity ;  consequently  that 
mode  of  effecting  my  purpose  was  abandoned. 

I  then  thought  of  felling  a  tree  and  hollowing  it  out  by 
charring  the  timber.  As  yet  I  had  discovered  nothing  on 
the  island  but  shrubs.  I  was  quite  certain  that  no  tree 
grew  near  enough  to  the  sea  to  be  available,  and  if  I  should 
succeed  in  cutting  down  a  large  one  and  fashioning  it  as  I 
desired,  I  had  no  means  of  transport. 

I  might  possibly  make  a  boat  capable  of  carrying  all  I 
wanted  to  put  into  it,  but  as  I  could  neither  move  the 
water  up  to  the  boat,  nor  the  boat  down  to  the  water,  for 
all  the  service  I  wanted  of  it,  even  if  the  island  contained 
a  tree  large  enough,  I  might  just  as  well  leave  it  un- 
touched. 

Still  I  would  not  altogether  abandon  my  favourite 
project.  I  thought  of  the  willows  that  grew  on  the  island, 
and  fancied  I  could  make  a  framework  by  twisting  them 
strongly  together,  and  stretching  seal  skins  over  them.  I 
laboured  at  this  for  several  weeks, — exercising  all  my 
ingenuity  and  no  slight  stock  of  patience,  to  create  an 
object  with  which  I  was  but  imperfectly  acquainted. 

I  did  succeed  at  last  in  putting  together  something  in  a 
remote  degree  resembling  the  boat  that  brought  part  of 
the  whaler's  crew  to  the  island  and  had  taken  them  away, 
but  it  was  not  a  quarter  the  size,  and  was  so  light  that  I 
could  carry  it  without  much  difficulty  to  the  landing  I  had 
constructed  on  the  cliff.  When  I  came  to  try  its  capa- 
bilities, I  found  it  terribly  lop-sided — it  soon  began  to  leak, 
and  in  fact  it  exhibited  so  many  faults,  that  I  was  forced 
to  drag  it  again  on  shore,  and  take  it  to  pieces. 

I  called  in  Mrs  Reichardt  to  my  assistance,  and  though 

at  first  she  seemed  averse  to  the  experiment,  she  gave  me 

a  great   deal   of  information   respecting  the  structure  of 

small  boats,  and  the  method  of  waterproofing  leather  and 

L.s.  N 


194  The  Little  Savage 

other  fabrics.  I  attended  carefully  to  all  she  said,  and 
commenced  re-building  with  more  pretensions  to  art. 

I  now  made  a  strong  frame-work,  tolerably  sharp  at 
each  end,  and  as  nearly  as  possible  resembling  a  keel  at 
the  bottom.  I  covered  this  on  both  sides  with  pieces  of 
strong  cloth  saturated  with  grease  from  the  carcases  of 
birds,  and  then  covered  the  whole  with  well-dried  seal 
skins,  which  I  had  made  impervious  to  wet.  The  inside 
of  the  boat  nearest  the  water  I  neatly  covered  with  pieces 
of  dry  bark,  over  which  I  fixed  some  boards,  which  had 
floated  to  the  island  from  wrecked  ships.  Finally  I  put  in 
some  benches  to  sit  on,  and  then  fancied  I  had  done  every- 
thing that  was  necessary. 

I  soon  got  her  into  the  fishing-pool,  and  was  delighted 
to  find  that  she  floated  capitally — but  I  still  had  a  great 
deal  to  do.  I  had  made  neither  oars  to  propel  her 
through  the  water,  nor  sail  to  carry  her  through  the 
waves,  when  rowing  was  impossible.  I  remembered  the 
whaler's  spare  oars  and  mizen,  but  they  were  too  large  ; 
nevertheless,  they  served  me  as  models  to  work  upon,  and 
in  time  I  made  a  rough  pair  of  paddles  or  oars,  which, 
though  rudely  fashioned,  I  hoped  would  answer  the 
purpose  pretty  well. 

The  next  difficulty  was  how  to  use  the  oars,  and  I 
made  many  awkward  attempts  before  I  ascertained  the 
proper  method  of  proceeding.  Again  my  companion,  on 
whom  nothing  which  had  once  passed  before  her  eyes  had 
passed  in  vain,  shewed  me  how  the  boat  should  be  managed. 

In  a  short  time  I  could  row  about  the  pool  with 
sufficient  dexterity  to  turn  the  boat  in  any  direction  I 
required,  and  I  then  took  Nero  as  a  passenger,  and  he 
seemed  to  enjoy  the  new  gratification  with  a  praiseworthy 
decorum  ;  till,  when  I  was  trying  to  turn  the  boat  round, 
the  movement  caused  him  to  attempt  to  shift  his  quarters, 
which  he  did  with  so  little  attention  to  the  build  of  our 
vessel,  that  in  one  moment  she  was  capsized,  and  in  the 
next  we  were  swimming  about  in  the  pool  with  our  vessel 
bottom  upwards. 


The  Little  Savage  195 

As  she  was  so  hght,  I  soon  righted  her,  and  found  that 
she  had  received  no  injury,  and  appeared  to  be  perfectly 
water-tight. 


Chapter  XXXVI 

I  COULD  not  prevail  upon  Mrs  Reichardt  to  embark  in  my 
craft,  the  fate  of  my  first  passenger  which  she  had 
witnessed  from  the  shore,  had  deterred  her  from 
attempting  a  voyage  under  such  unpromising  circum- 
stances. 

As  soon  as  I  had  dried  my  clothes,  I  was  for  making 
another  experiment,  and  one  too  of  a  more  hazardous 
nature.  I  would  not  be  parted  from  Nero,  but  I  made 
him  lie  at  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  where  I  could  have  him 
under  strict  control.  With  him  I  also  took  my  little  flock 
of  gannets,  who  perched  themselves  round  me,  gazing 
about  them  with  an  air  of  such  singular  stupidity  as  they 
were  being  propelled  through  the  water,  that  I  could  not 
help  bursting  out  laughing. 

"Indeed,"  said  Mrs  Reichardt,  "such  a  boat's  crew 
and  such  a  boat  has  never  been  seen  in  those  seas  before. 
A  young  savage  as  captain,  a  tame  seal  as  boatswain,  and 
a  flock  of  gannets  as  sailors,  certainly  made  up  as  curious 
a  set  of  adventurers  as  ever  floated  upon  the  wide  ocean." 

I  was  not  the  least  remarkable  of  the  strange  group,  for 
I  had  nothing  on  but  a  pair  of  duck  trousers,  patched  in 
several  places  ;  and  my  hair,  which  had  grown  very  long, 
hung  in  black  wavy  masses  to  my  shoulders.  My  skin 
was  tanned  by  the  sun  to  a  light  brown,  very  different 
from  the  complexion  of  Mrs  Reichardt,  which  had  ever 
been  remarkable  for  its  paleness.  Indeed  she  told  me  I 
should  find  some  difliculty  in  establishing  my  claim  to  the 
title  of  European,  but  none  at  all  to  that  of  Little  Savage, 
which  she  often  playfully  called  me. 

Nevertheless,  in  this  trim,  and  with  these  companions, 


196  The  Little  Savage 

I  passed  out  of  the  fishing-pool  into  the  sea,  with  the 
intention  of  rowing  round  the  island.  Mrs  Reichardt 
waved  her  hand  as  I  departed  on  my  voyage,  having 
exhorted  me  to  be  very  careful,  as  long  as  I  was  in 
hearing  ;  she  then  turned  away,  as  I  thought,  to  return  to 
the  hut. 

The  day  was  remarkably  fine.  There  was  not  so  much 
as  a  cloud  on  the  horizon,  and  scarcely  a  ripple  on  the 
water  :  therefore,  everything  seemed  to  favour  my  project, 
for  if  there  had  been  anything  of  a  breeze,  the  beating  of 
the  waves  against  the  rock  would  have  been  a  great 
obstacle  to  my  pursuing  my  voyage  with  either  comfort  or 
safety.  The  water  too  was  so  clear,  that  although  it  was 
of  great  depth,  I  could  distinguish  the  shells  that  lay  on 
the  sand,  and  observe  various  kinds  of  fish,  some  of  most 
curious  shape,  that  rushed  rapidly  beneath  the  beat  as  it 
was  urged  along. 

I  was  delighted  with  the  motion,  and  with  the  agreeable 
appearance  of  the  different  novelties  that  met  my  gaze. 
The  light  boat  glided  almost  imperceptibly  through  the 
water  at  every  stroke  of  the  oar.  Nero  lay  as  still  as  if 
his  former  lesson  had  taught  him  the  necessity  of  remain- 
ing motionless  ;  and  the  gannets  now  and  then  expressed 
their  satisfaction  by  a  shrill  cry  or  a  rapid  fluttering  of 
their  wings. 

In  this  way,  we  passed  on  without  any  adventure,  till 
I  found  it  necessary  for  me  to  row  some  distance  out  to 
sea,  to  round  a  projecting  rock  that  stood  like  a  mighty 
wall  before  me.  I  pulled  accordingly,  and  then  had  a 
better  opportunity  of  seeing  the  island  than  I  had  ever 
obtained.  I  recognised  all  the  favourite  places,  the  ravine, 
the  wood,  the  hut  covered  with  beautiful  creepers,  and 
the  garden,  full  of  flowers,  looked  very  agreeable  to  the 
eye :  but  every  part  seemed  to  look  pleasant,  except  the 
great  savage  rocks  which  enclosed  the  island  on  every 
side  :  but  even  these  I  thought  had  an  air  of  grandeur  that 
gave  additional  effect  to  the  scene. 

Much    to   my    surprise,    I    recognised    Mrs    Reichardt 


The  Little  Savage  197 

walking  rapidly  towards  a  part  of  the  shore,  near  which 
I  should  be  obliged  to  pass.  From  this  I  saw  that  she 
was  intent  on  watching  me  from  point  to  point,  to  know 
the  worst,  if  any  accident  should  befall  me,  and  be  at 
hand  should  there  be  a  necessity  for  rendering  assistance. 
I  shouted  to  her,  and  she  waved  her  hand  in  reply. 

On  rounding  the  headland,  my  astonishment  was 
extreme  on  finding  my  little  bark  in  the  midst  of  a  shoal 
of  enormous  sharks.  If  I  came  in  contact  with  one  of 
them  I  was  lost,  for  the  frail  boat  would  certainly  be 
upset  and  as  Jackson  had  assured  me,  if  ever  I  allowed 
these  monsters  to  come  near  enough,  one  snap  of  their 
jaws,  and  there  would  be  an  end  of  the  Little  Savage.  I 
thought  of  the  warning  of  Mrs  Reichardt,  and  was 
inclined  to  think  I  had  better  have  taken  her  advice,  and 
remained  in  the  fishing-pool  j  nevertheless,  I  went  on  as 
quietly  and  deliberately  as  possible,  exercising  all  my 
skill  to  keep  clear  of  my  unexpected  enemies. 

It  was  not  till  I  had  got  into  the  middle  of  the  shoal 
that  the  sharks  seemed  to  be  aware  there  was  anything 
unusual  in  their  neighbourhood,  but  as  soon  as  they  were 
fully  aware  of  the  presence  of  an  intruder,  they  exhibited 
the  most  extraordinary  excitement,  rushing  together  in 
groups,  with  such  rapid  motion,  that  the  water  became 
so  agitated,  I  was  obliged  to  exercise  all  my  skill  to  keep 
the  boat  steady  on  her  course. 

They  dived,  and  rushed  to  and  fro,  and  jostled  each 
other,  as  I  thought,  in  anything  but  an  amicable  spirit ; 
still,  however,  keeping  at  a  respectful  distance  from  the 
boat,  for  which  I  was  extremely  thankful.  I  urged  her 
on  with  all  my  strength,  for  the  purpose  of  getting  away 
from  such  unpleasant  neighbours ;  but  they  were  not  to 
be  so  easily  disposed  of.  They  came  swimming  after 
the  boat,  then  when  within  a  few  yards  dived,  and  in  a 
moment  they  were  before  it,  as  if  to  bar  any  further 
progress. 

I  however  pushed  on,  and  they  disappeared,  but  im- 
mediately afterwards  rose  on  all  sides  of  me.     They  were 


198  The  Little  Savage 

evidently  getting  more  confidence  ;  a  fact  I  ascertained 
with  no  slight  apprehension,  for  they  began  to  approach 
nearer,  and  their  gambols  threatened  'every  minute  to 
overwhelm  my  poor  craft,  that,  light  as  a  cork,  bounced 
up  and  down  the  agitated  waves,  as  if  quite  as  much 
alarmed  for  our  safety  as  ourselves. 

The  captain  was  not  the  only  one  who  began  to  fear 
evil ;  the  gannets  were  very  restless,  and  it  was  only  by 
strong  admonitions  I  could  prevail  on  Nero  to  retain  his 
recumbent  attitude  at  my  feet ;  their  instinct  warned 
them  of  approaching  danger,  and  I  felt  the  comfortable 
assurance  that  my  own  rashness  had  brought  me  into  my 
present  critical  position,  and  that  if  the  menaced  destruc- 
tion did  arrive,  there  was  no  sort  of  assistance  at  hand  on 
which  I  could  rely. 

Every  moment  the  sharks  became  more  violent  in  their 
demonstrations,  and  more  bold  in  their  approaches,  and  I 
could  scarcely  keep  the  boat  going,  or  prevent  the  water 
rushing  over  her  sides.  The  gannets,  having  shewn 
themselves  for  some  minutes  uneasy,  had  at  last  flown 
away  to  the  neighbouring  rock,  and  Nero  began  to 
growl  and  snap,  as  though  meditating  a  forcible  release 
from  his  prostrate  position,  to  see  what  mischief  was 
brewing. 

As  I  was  coaxing  him  to  be  quiet,  I  felt  a  tremendous 
blow  given  to  the  boat,  evidently  from  beneath,  and  she 
rose  into  the  air  several  yards,  scattering  Nero  and  myself, 
and  the  oars,  in  different  directions. 

The  noise  we  made  in  falling  appeared  for  the  instant 
to  have  scattered  the  creatures,  for  I  had  struck  out  for 
the  rock  and  nearly  reached  it  before  a  shark  made  its 
appearance. 

Just  then  I  saw  a  large  monster  rushing  towards  me. 
I  thought  all  was  over.  He  turned  to  open  his  great 
jaws,  and  in  another  instant  I  should  have  been  devoured. 

At  that  critical  period  I  saw  a  second  object  dart  in 
between  me  and  the  shark,  and  attack  the  latter  fiercely. 
It  was  Nero,  and  it  was  the  last  I  ever  saw  of  my  faithful 


The  Little  Savage  199 

friend.  His  timely  interposition  enabled  me  to  reach  a 
ledge  in  the  cliff,  where  I  was  in  perfect  safety,  hanging 
by  some  strong  seaweed,  although  my  feet  nearly  touched 
the  water,  and  I  could  retain  my  position  only  with  the 
greatest  difficulty. 

The  whole  shoal  were  presently  around  me.  They  a 
first  paid  their  attentions  to  the  boat  and  the  oars,  which 
they  buffeted  about  till  they  were  driven  close  to  the  rock, 
at  a  little  distance  from  the  place  where  I  had  found 
temporary  safety.  They  left  these  things  unharmed  as 
soon  as  they  caught  sight  of  me,  and  then  their  eagerness 
and  violence  returned  with  tenfold  fury.  They  darted 
towards  me  in  a  body,  and  I  was  obliged  to  lift  my  legs, 
or  I  should  have  had  them  snapped  off  by  one  or  other  of 
the  twenty  gaping  jaws  that  were  thrust  over  each  other, 
in  their  eagerness  to  make  a  mouthful  of  my  limbs. 

This  game  was  carried  on  for  some  minutes  of  horrible 
anxiety  to  me.  I  fancied  that  my  struggles  had  loosened 
the  seaweed,  and  that  in  a  few  minutes  it  must  give  way, 
and  I  should  then  be  fought  for  and  torn  to  pieces  by  the 
ravenous  crew  beneath.  I  shouted  with  all  the  strength  of 
my  lungs  to  scare  them  away  ;  but  as  if  they  were  as  well 
aware  that  I  could  not  escape  them  as  I  was  myself,  they 
merely  left  off  their  violent  efforts  to  reach  my  projecting 
legs,  and  forming  a  semi-circle  round  me,  watched  with 
upturned  eyes,  that  seemed  to  possess  a  fiendish  expression 
that  fascinated  and  bewildered  me,  the  snapping  of  the 
frail  hold  that  supported  me  upon  the  rock. 

In  my  despair  I  prayed  heartily,  but  it  was  rather  to 
commend  my  soul  to  my  Maker,  than  with  any  prospect  of 
being  rescued  from  so  imminent  and  horrible  a  peril.  The 
eyes  of  the  ravenous  monsters  below  seemed  to  mock  my 
devotion.  I  felt  the  roots  of  the  seaweed  giving  way  :  the 
slightest  struggle  on  my  part  would  I  knew  only  hasten 
my  dissolution,  and  I  resigned  myself  to  my  fate. 

In  this  awful  moment  I  heard  a  voice  calling  out  my 
name.  It  was  Mrs  Reichardt  on  the  cliff  high  above  me. 
I  answered  with  all  the  eagerness  of  despair.     Then  there 


200  The  Little  Savage 

came  a  heavy  splash  into  the  water,  and  I  heard  her 
implore  me  to  endeavour  to  make  for  a  small  shrub  that 
grew  in  a  hollow  of  the  rock,  at  a  very  short  distance  from 
the  tuft  of  seaweed  that  had  become  so  serviceable. 

I  looked  down.  The  sharks  had  all  disappeared ;  I 
knew,  however,  that  they  would  shortly  return,  and  lost 
not  a  moment  in  making  an  effort  to  better  my  position  in 
the  manner  I  had  been  directed.  Mrs  Reichardt  had 
thrown  a  heavy  stone  into  the  water  among  the  sharks,  the 
loud  splash  of  which  had  driven  them  away.  Before  they 
again  made  their  appearance,  I  had  caught  a  firm  hold  of 
the  twig,  and  flung  myself  up  into  a  position  of  perfect 
safety. 

"  Thank  God  he's  safe  !  "  I  heard  Mrs  Reichardt 
exclaim. 

The  sharks  did  return,  but  when  they  found  their 
anticipated  prey  had  escaped,  they  swam  lazily  out  to  sea. 

"  Are  you  much  hurt,  Frank  Henniker  ?  "  she  presently 
cried  out  to  me. 

"  I  have  not  a  scratch,"  I  replied. 

**  Then  thank  God  for  your  deliverance,"  she  added. 

I  did  thank  God,  and  Mrs  Reichardt  joined  with  me  in 
prayer,  and  a  more  fervent  thanksgiving  than  was  ours,  it 
is  scarcely  possible  to  imagine. 


Chapter  XXXVII 

I  HAD  several  times  pressed  Mrs  Reichardt  for  the  con- 
clusion of  her  story,  but  she  had  always  seemed  reluctant 
to  resume  the  subject.  It  was  evidently  full  of  painful 
incidents,  and  she  shrunk  from  dwelling  upon  them.  At 
last,  one  evening  we  were  sitting  together,  she  working 
with  her  needle  and  I  employed  upon  a  net  she  had  taught 
me  how  to  manufacture,  and  I  again  led  the  conversation 
to  the  narrative  my  companion  had  left  unfinished.  She 
sighed  heavily  and  looked  distressed. 


The  Little  Savage  201 

"  It  is  but  natural  you  should  expect  this  of  me,  my 
son,"  she  said ;  "  but  you  little  know  the  suffering  caused 
by  my  recalling  the  melancholy  events  that  I  have  to 
detail.  However,  I  have  led  you  to  expect  the  entire 
relation,  and,  therefore,  I  will  endeavour  to  realise  your 
anticipations." 

I  assured  her  I  was  ready  to  wait,  whenever  it  might  be 
agreeable  for  her  to  narrate  the  termination  of  her  interest- 
ing history. 

"  It  will  never  be  agreeable  to  me,"  she  replied  mourn- 
fully ;  "  indeed  I  would  forget  it,  if  I  could ;  but  that  is 
impossible.  The  struggle  may  as  well  be  made  now,  as  at 
any  time,  I  will  therefore  commence  by  informing  you, 
that  during  our  long  voyage  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  I 
found  ample  opportunity  for  studying  the  disposition  of 
my  husband.  He  was  much  changed  since  he  first  left  me, 
but  his  was  still  the  same  grateful  nature,  full  of  truth 
and  purity,  that  had  won  me  towards  him  when  a  child. 
A  holy  enthusiasm  seemed  now  to  exalt  him  above  ordinary 
humanity.  I  could  scarcely  ever  get  him  to  talk  upon  any 
but  religious  subjects,  and  those  he  treated  in  so  earnest 
and  exalted  a  manner,  that  it  was  impossible  to  avoid  being 
carried  away  with  his  eloquence. 

"  He  seemed  to  feel  the  greatness  of  his  destination,  as 
though  it  had  raised  him  to  an  equality  with  the  adven- 
turous Saints,  who  established  the  banner  of  Christ  among 
the  Pagan  nations  of  Europe.  He  was  fond  of  dilating 
upon  the  importance  of  his  mission,  and  of  dwelling  on  the 
favour  that  had  been  vouchsafed  him,  in  causing  him  to  be 
selected  for  so  high  and  responsible  a  duty. 

"It  was  evident  that  he  would  rather  have  been  sent  to 
associate  with  the  barbarous  people  whom  he  expected  to 
make  his  converts,  than  have  been  raised  to  the  richest 
Bishopric  in  England.  And  yet,  with  this  exultation,  there 
was  a  spirit  of  deep  melancholy  pervading  his  countenance, 
as  well  as  his  discourses,  that  seemed  to  imply  a  sense  of 
danger.  The  nimbus  of  the  saint  in  his  eyes  was  associated 
with  the  crown  of  martyrdom.    He  seemed  to  look  forward 


202  The  Little  Savage 

to  a  fatal  termination  of  his  ministry,  as  the  most  natural 
and  proper  conclusion  of  his  labours. 

"  His  conversation  often  filled  me  with  dread.  His 
intimations  of  danger  seemed  at  first  very  shocking,  but, 
at  last,  I  got  more  familiar  with  these  terrible  suggestions, 
and  regarded  them  as  the  distempered  fancies  of  an  over- 
worked mind. 

"  In  this  way  our  long  voyage  passed,  and  we  arrived  at 
last  at  our  place  of  destination.  When  we  had  dis- 
embarked, the  scene  that  presented  itself  to  me  was  so 
strange,  that  I  could  almost  believe  I  had  passed  into  a  new 
world.  The  most  luxurious  vegetation,  of  a  character 
I  had  never  seen  before  —  the  curious  buildings — the 
singular  forms  of  the  natives,  and  their  peculiar  costume — 
excited  my  wonder  to  an  intense  degree. 

"  My  husband  applied  himself  diligently  to  learn  the 
language  of  the  people,  whilst  I  as  intently  studied  their 
habits  and  customs.     We  both  made  rapid  progress. 

"  As  soon  as  I  could  make  myself  understood,  I  en- 
deavoured to  make  friends  with  the  women,  particularly 
with  the  wives  of  the  great  men,  and  although  I  was  at 
first  the  object  of  more  curiosity  than  regard,  I  persisted  in 
my  endeavours,  and  succeeded  in  establishing  with  many  a 
good  understanding. 

"  I  found  them  ignorant  of  everything  that  in  civilised 
countries  is  considered  knowledge  —  their  minds  being 
enveloped  in  the  most  deplorable  darkness — the  only 
semblance  of  religion  in  use  amongst  them,  being  a  brutal 
and  absurd  idolatry. 

*'  I  often  tried  to  lead  them  to  the  consideration  of  more 
humanising  truths,  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  the  way 
for  the  inculcation  of  the  great  mysteries  of  our  holy 
rehgion :  but  the  greater  portion  of  my  hearers  were 
incompetent  to  understand  what  I  seemed  so  desirous  of 
teaching,  and  my  making  them  comprehend  the  principles 
of  Christianity  appeared  to  be  a  hopeless  task. 

"  Yet  I  continued  my  pious  labours,  without  allowing 
my  exertions  to  flag — making  myself  useful  to  them  and 


The  Little  Savage  203 

their  families  in  every  way  I  could — attending  them  when 
sick — giving  them  presents  when  well — and  showing  them 
every  kindness  likely  to  make  a  favourable  impression  on 
their  savage  natures.  In  this  way  I  proceeded  doing  good, 
till  I  found  an  opportunity  of  being  of  service  to  a  young 
girl,  about  twelve  years  of  age,  who  was  a  younger  sister 
of  one  of  the  wives  of  a  great  chief.  She  had  sprained  her 
ankle  and  was  in  great  pain,  when  I  applied  the  proper 
remedies  and  gave  her  speedy  relief.  Hooloo,  for  that  was 
her  name,  from  that  moment  became  warmly  attached  to  me, 
and  finding  her  of  an  affectionate  and  ingenuous  disposition, 
I  became  extremely  desirous  of  improving  upon  the  good 
impression  I  had  made. 

"  At  the  same  time  my  husband  sought,  by  his  know- 
ledge of  the  mechanical  arts,  and  some  acquaintance  with 
medicine,  to  recommend  himself  to  the  men.  He  also  met 
with  much  difficulty  at  first,  in  making  his  information 
properly  appreciated.  He  sought  to  increase  their  comforts 
— to  introduce  agricultural  implements  of  a  more  useful 
description,  and  to  lead  them  generally  towards  the 
conveniences  and  decencies  of  civilisation.  He  built 
himself  a  house,  and  planted  a  garden,  and  cultivated  some 
land,  in  which  he  shewed  the  superior  advantages  of  what 
he  knew,  to  what  they  practised.  They  seemed  to  marvel 
much,  but  continued  to  go  on  in  their  own  way. 

"  He  also  went  amongst  them  as  a  physician,  and  having 
acquired  considerable  knowledge  of  medicine  and  simple 
surgery,  he  was  enabled  to  work  some  cures  in  fevers 
and  spear  wounds,  that  in  course  of  time  made  for  him  so 
great  a  reputation,  that  many  of  the  leading  chiefs  sent 
for  him  when  anything  ailed  them  or  their  families,  and 
they  were  so  well  satisfied  with  what  he  did  for  them, 
that  he  began  to  be  looked  upon  as  one  who  was  to  be 
treated  with  particular  respect  and  honour,  by  all  classes 
of  the  natives,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest. 

"  On  one  occasion  the  king  required  his  services.  He 
was  suffering  from  a  sort  of  cholic,  for  which  the  native 
doctors  could  give  him  no  relief.     My  husband  administered 


204  The  Little  Savage 

some  medicines,  and  stayed  with  his  Majesty  until  they  had 
the  desired  effect,  and  the  result  being  a  complete  recovery, 
seemed  so  astonishing  to  all  the  members  of  his  Sandwich 
Majesty's  court,  that  the  doctor  was  required  to  administer 
the  same  medicine  to  every  one,  from  the  queen  to  the 
humblest  of  her  attendants,  though  all  were  apparently 
in  good  health.  He  managed  to  satisfy  them  with  a 
small  portion  only  of  the  mixture,  which  he  was  quite 
certain  could  do  them  no  harm :  and  they  professed  to  be 
wonderfully  the  better  for  it. 


Chapter  XXXVIII 

"  His  reputation  had  now  grown  so  great,  that  whatever 
he  required  was  readily  granted.  He  first  desired  to  have 
some  children  sent  him ;  to  learn  those  things  which  had 
enabled  him  to  do  so  much  good,  and  this  having  been 
readily  sanctioned,  we  opened  a  school  for  girls  and  boys, 
in  which  we  taught  the  first  elements  of  a  civilised 
education. 

"  Finding  we  made  fair  progress  in  this  way,  we  com- 
menced developing  our  real  object,  the  inculcation  of 
Christian  sentiments.  This  meeting  with  no  opposition, 
and  Reichardt  having  established  a  powerful  influence 
over  the  entire  community,  he  next  proceeded  with  the 
parents,  and  earnestly  strove  to  induce  them  to  embrace 
the  profession  of  Christianity. 

*'His  labours  were  not  entirely  unproductive.  There 
began  to  prevail  amongst  the  islanders,  a  disposition  to 
hear  the  wondrous  discourses  of  this  stranger,  and  he 
was  employed,  day  after  day,  in  explaining  to  large  and 
attentive  audiences,  the  history  of  the  Christian  world, 
and  the  observances  and  doctrine  of  that  faith  which  had 
been  cemented  by  the  blood  of  the  Redeemer.  The  new 
and  startHng  subjects  of  his  discourse,  as  well  as  the 
impressive  character  of  his  eloquence,  frequently  deeply 


The  Little  Savage  205 

moved  his  hearers ;  and  at  his  revelations  they  would 
often  burst  forth  into  piercing  shouts  and  loud  expressions 
of  amazement. 

"  In  truth  it  was  a  moving  scene.  The  noble  figure 
of  the  Missionary,  with  his  fine  features  lighted  up  with 
the  fire  of  holy  enthusiasm,  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of 
dusky  savages,  armed  with  spears  and  war  clubs,  and 
partly  clothed  with  feathers,  in  their  features  shewing 
traces  of  unusual  excitement,  and  every  now  and  then 
joining  in  a  wild  chorus,  expressive  of  their  wonder,  could 
not  have  been  witnessed  by  any  Christian,  without 
emotion. 

"  But  when  the  ceremony  of  Baptism  was  first  per- 
formed before  them,  their  amazement  was  increased 
a  thousandfold.  The  first  member  of  our  flock  was 
Hooloo,  whom  I  had  instructed  so  far,  in  the  principles 
of  our  faith,  and  I  had  acquired  such  an  influence  over 
her  mind,  that  she  readily  consented  to  abandon  her 
idolatrous  customs  and  become  a  Christian. 

"  After  a  suitable  address  to  the  natives,  who  had 
assembled  in  some  thousands  to  witness  the  spectacle, 
in  which  he  explained  to  them  the  motive  and  object 
of  baptism,  my  husband  assisted  the  girl  down  a  sloping 
green  bank  which  led  to  a  beautiful  stream,  and  walked 
with  her  into  the  water  till  he  was  up  to  his  waist  ;  then, 
after  offering  up  a  long  and  fervent  prayer  that  this  first 
victory  over  the  false  worship  of  the  Devil,  might  be  the 
forerunner  of  the  entire  extirpation  of  idolatry  from  the 
land,  he,  plunging  her  into  the  water,  baptised  her  in 
the  name  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"  All  the  people  were  awed  to  silence  while  the 
ceremony  proceeded,  but  when  it  was  over  they  burst 
forth  into  a  loud  cry,  and  came  down  to  meet  the  new 
Christian  and  my  husband  as  they  came  out  of  the  water, 
and  waved  over  them  boughs  of  trees,  and  danced  and 
shouted  as  though  in  an  ecstasy. 

*'  We  however  had  not  proceeded  to  this  extent, 
without  exciting  considerable  opposition ;   our  disrespect 


2o6  The  Little  Savage 

towards  their  idols  had  given  great  offence  to  those  who 
were  identified  with  the  superstitions  of  the  people,  and 
flourished  according  as  these  were  supported.  Complaints 
were  made  too  of  our  teaching  a  new  religion,  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  gods  they  and  their  fathers  had  worshipped, 
and  a  powerful  party  was  got  together  for  the  purpose 
of  pursuing  us  to  destruction. 

*'  My  husband  was  summoned  before  a  council  of  the 
great  chiefs,  to  hear  the  accusations  that  had  been  brought 
against  him  :  and  the  old  idolaters  got  up  and  abused  him, 
and  threatened  him  with  the  punishment  of  their  monstrous 
gods,  for  telling  lies  to  the  people,  and  deceiving  them 
with  forged  tales  and  strange  customs. 

"  They  sought  all  they  could,  to  move  the  judges 
against  him,  by  painting  the  terrible  fate  that  would  befall 
them  if  they  failed  to  kill  the  white  stranger,  who  had 
insulted  their  gods  ;  and  they  predicted  hosts  of  calamities 
that  were  to  happen,  in  consequence  of  their  having  allowed 
the  teller  of  lies  to  work  so  much  mischief  against  them. 

"  My  husband  then  being  called  upon  for  his  defence, 
first  declared  to  the  judges  the  attributes  of  the  Deity  he 
worshipped  :  that  he  created  the  vast  heavens,  the  stars, 
the  mountains,  the  rivers,  and  the  sea ;  his  voice  spoke  in 
the  thunder,  and  his  eye  flashed  in  the  lightning.  He 
then  dwelt  on  his  goodness  to  man,  especially  to  the 
Sandwich  Islanders,  whom  he  had  created  for  the  purpose 
of  enjoying  the  fine  country  around  them  and  of  beholding 
the  beauty  of  the  heavens  where  he  dwelt.  Then  he 
referred  to  the  gods  they  had  worshipped,  and  asked  hov/ 
they  were  made,  and  what  such  senseless  things  could  do 
for  them  ;  commenting  on  their  inability  to  serve  them,  in 
any  way,  or  do  them  any  harm  j  and  went  on  to  speak  of 
the  benefits  he  had  been  able  to  confer  upon  them,  through 
the  influence  of  the  all  powerful  God  he  worshipped  ;  and 
asked  them  if  he  had  ever  done  them  anything  but  good. 
Lastly,  he  promised  them  innumerable  benefits,  if  they 
would  leave  their  useless  gods,  and  turn  to  the  only  God 
who  had  the  power  to  serve  them. 


The  Little  Savage  207 

"It  is  impossible  for  me  to  do  justice  to  the  animated 
manner  in  which  he  delivered  this  discourse.  It  produced 
great  effect  upon  the  majority  of  his  hearers  ;  but  there 
was  a  powerful  minority  it  still  more  strongly  influenced 
against  him  ;  and  they  continued  to  interrupt  him  with 
terrible  outcries. 

'*  Most  of  the  leading  chiefs  were  against  his  suffering 
any  harm.  They  bore  in  mind  the  advantages  he  had  con- 
ferred, by  his  skill  in  medicine,  and  superior  wisdom  in 
various  other  things,  which  the  people  would  lose  were  he 
put  to  death.  They  also  remembered  the  hope  he  held 
out  of  future  benefits,  which  of  course  they  could  not 
expect,  if  they  offered  him  any  violence. 

"  The  result  was,  that  my  husband  was  suffered  to  go 
harmless  from  the  meeting,  to  the  great  disappointment 
of  his  enemies,  who  could  scarcely  be  kept  from  laying 
violent  hands  upon  him.  The  danger  he  had  escaped, 
unfortunately,  did  not  render  him  more  prudent.  Far 
from  it.  He  believed  that  he  was  a  chosen  instrument 
of  the  Most  High,  to  win  these  savages  from  the  depths 
of  idolatry  and  Paganism ;  and  continued,  on  every 
occasion  that  presented  itself,  to  endeavour  to  win  souls 
to  God. 

"  The  school  increased,  several  of  the  parents  suffered 
themselves  to  be  baptised,  and  there  was  a  regular 
observance  of  the  Lord's  Day  amongst  those  who  belonged 
to  our  little  flock.  Even  many  of  the  islanders,  although 
they  did  not  become  Christians,  attended  our  religious 
services,  and  spoke  well  of  us. 

"We  brought  up  the  young  people  to  be  able  to  teach 
their  brethren  and  sisters ;  and  hoped  to  be  able  to 
establish  missions  in  other  parts  of  the  island,  to  which  we 
sometimes  made  excursions ;  preaching  the  inestimable 
blessings  of  the  gospel  to  the  islanders,  and  exhorting 
them  to  abandon  their  dark  customs  and  heathen  follies. 
I  was  not  far  behind  my  husband  in  this  good  work,  and 
acquired  as  much  influence  among  the  women  as  he 
exercised  over  the  men  :  indeed  we  were  generally  looked 


2o8  The  Little  Savage 

upon  as  holy  people,  who  deserved  to  be  treated  with 
veneration  and  respect. 


Chapter   XXXIX 

"Things  went  on  in  this  flourishing  way  for  several  years; 
my  husband,  deeply  impressed  with  the  responsibility  of 
his  position,  as  a  chosen  servant  of  God,  devoted  himself 
so  entirely  to  the  great  work  he  had  undertaken,  that  he 
often  seemed  to  overlook  the  claims  upon  his  attention  of 
her  he  had  chosen  as  his  partner,  in  his  struggle  against 
the  Powers  of  Darkness.  Sometimes  I  did  not  see  him  for 
several  days  ;  and  often  when  we  were  together,  he  was 
so  abstracted,  he  did  not  seem  aware  I  was  present. 
Whenever  I  could  get  him  to  speak  of  himself,  he  would 
dilate  on  the  unspeakable  felicity  that  he  felt  in  drawing 
nearer  to  the  end  of  his  work.  I  affected  not  to  know  to 
what  he  alluded  ;  but  I  always  felt  that  he  was  referring 
to  the  impression  he  entertained  of  his  own  speedy  dissolu- 
tion, which  he  had  taken  up  when  he  first  embraced  this 
mission. 

"  I  tried  to  get  rid  of  my  misgivings  by  recalling  the 
dangers  and  difficulties  we  had  triumphantly  passed,  and 
referring  to  the  encouraging  state  of  things  that  existed 
at  the  present  time  ;  nevertheless,  I  could  not  prevent 
a  sinking  of  the  heart,  whenever  I  heard  him  venture 
upon  the  subject  j  and  when  he  was  absent  from  me, 
I  often  experienced  an  agony  of  anxiety  till  his  return. 
I  saw,  however,  no  real  cause  of  apprehension,  and 
endeavoured  to  persuade  myself  none  existed ;  and  very 
probably  I  should  have  succeeded,  had  not  my  husband 
so  frequently  indulged  in  references  to  our  separation. 

"  Alas,"  she  exclaimed,  mournfully,  "  he  was  better 
informed  than  I  was  of  the  proximity  of  that  Celestial 
Home,  for  which  he  had  been  so  long  and  zealously 
preparing   himself.      He,    doubtless,    had    his   intimation 


The  Little  Savage  209 

from  on  high,  that  his  translation  to  the  realms  of  bliss, 
was  no  remote  consequence  of  his  undertaking  the  mission 
he  had  accepted  ;  and  he  had  familiarised  his  mind  to  it 
as  a  daily  duty,  and  by  his  constant  references  had  sought 
to  prepare  me  for  the  catastrophe  he  knew  to  be  in- 
evitable." 

Here  Mrs  Reichardt  became  so  sensibly  affected,  that 
it  was  some  time  before  she  could  proceed  with  her 
narrative.  She,  however,  did  so  at  last,  yet  I  could  see 
by  the  tears  that  traced  each  other  down  her  wan  cheeks, 
how  much  her  soul  was  moved  by  the  terrible  details 
into  which  she  was  obliged  to  enter. 

"  In  the  midst  of  our  success,"  she  presently  resumed, 
"  when  we  had  established  a  congregation,  had  baptised 
hundreds  of  men,  women,  and  children,  had  completed 
a  regular  place  of  worship,  and  an  extensive  school-house, 
both  of  which  were  fully  and  regularly  attended,  some 
European  vessel  paid  us  a  short  visit,  soon  after  which, 
that  dreadful  scourge  the  small-pox,  broke  out  amongst 
the  people.  Both  children  and  adults  were  seized,  and 
as  soon  as  one  died  a  dozen  were  attacked. 

"  Soon  the  greatest  alarm  pervaded  the  natives ;  my 
husband  was  implored  to  stop  the  pestilence,  which  power 
they  felt  convinced  he  had  in  his  hands.  He  did  all  that 
was  possible  for  him  to  do,  but  that  unfortunately  was 
very  little.  His  recommendation  of  remedial  measures 
was  rarely  attended  with  the  desired  results.  Death  was 
very  busy.  The  people  died  in  scores,  and  the  survivors, 
excited  by  the  vindictive  men  who  had  formerly  sought 
his  death  for  disparaging  their  gods,  began  not  only  to 
fall  off  rapidly  in  their  regard  and  reverence  for  my 
husband,  but  murmurs  first,  and  execrations  afterwards, 
and  violent  menaces  subsequently,  attended  him  whenever 
he  appeared. 

**  He  preached  to  them  resignation  to  the  Divine  "Will ; 
but  resignation  was  not  a  savage  virtue.  He  was 
indefatigable  in  his  attentions  to  the  sick ;  but  those  of 
whom  he  was  most  careful  seemed  the  speediest  to  die. 

L.S.  O 


2IO  The  Little  Savage 

The  popular  feeling  against  him  increased  every  hour  ; 
he  appeared,  however,  to  defy  his  fate — walking  uncon- 
cernedly amongst  crowds  of  infuriated  savages  brandishing 
heavy  clubs,  and  threatening  him  with  the  points  of  their 
sharp  spears  -,  but  his  eye  never  blinked,  and  his  cheek 
never  blanched,  and  he  walked  on  his  way  inwardly 
praising  God,  careless  of  the  evil  passions  that  raged 
around  him. 

"  It  was  on  a  Sabbath  morn — our  service  had  far 
advanced ;  we  could  boast  of  but  a  limited  congregation, 
for  many  had  died,  some  had  fled  from  the  pestilence 
into  the  interior ;  others  had  avoided  the  place  in  con- 
sequence of  the  threats  of  their  countrymen.  A  few 
children,  and  two  or  three  women,  were  all  their  teacher 
had  to  address. 

"  We  were  engaged  in  singing  a  Psalm,  when  a  furious 
crowd,  mad  with  rage,  as  it  seemed,  screaming  and  yelling 
in  the  most  frightful  manner,  and  brandishing  their 
weapons  as  though  about  to  attack  an  enemy,  burst  into 
our  little  chapel,  and  seized  my  husband  in  the  midst 
of  his  devotions. 

"  I  rushed  forward  to  protect  him  from  the  numerous 
weapons  that  were  aimed  at  his  life,  but  was  dragged 
back  by  the  hair  of  my  head ;  and  with  infuriate  cries 
and  gestures,  that  made  them  look  like  demons  broke 
loose  from  hell,  they  fell  upon  him  with  their  clubs  and 
spears. 

"  Reichardt  made  no  resistance,  he  merely  clasped  his 
hands  the  more  firmly,  and  looked  up  to  Heaven  tlie  more 
devoutly,  as  he  continued  the  Psalm  he  had  commenced 
before  they  entered.     This  did  not  delay  his  fate. 

"  They  beat  out  his  brains  so  close  to  me,  that  I  was 
covered  with  his  blood,  and  I  believe  I  should  have 
shared  the  same  fate,  had  I  not  fainted  with  terror  at 
the  horrible  scene  of  which  I  was  a  forced  spectator. 

"  I  learned  afterwards  that  some  powerful  chief  inter- 
fered, and  I  was  carried  away  more  dead  than  alive,  in 
which   state   I  long   remained.      As   soon   as   I   became 


The  Little  Savage  211 

sufficiently  strong  to  be  moved,  I  took  advantage  of  a 
whaler  calling  at  the  island,  homeward  bound,  to  beg  a 
passage.  The  captain  heard  my  lamentable  story,  took 
me  on  board  as  soon  as  he  could,  and  shewed  a  seaman's 
sympathy  for  my  sufferings. 

"  I  was  to  have  returned  to  England  with  him,  but  off 
this  place  we  encountered  a  terrible  storm,  in  which  we 
were  obliged  to  take  to  the  boats,  as  the  only  chance  of 
saving  our  lives.  What  became  of  him  I  know  not,  as 
the  two  boats  parted  company  soon  after  leaving  the 
wreck.  I  trust  he  managed  to  reach  the  land  in  safety, 
and  is  now  in  his  own  country,  enjoying  all  the  comforts 
that  can  make  life  covetable. 

"  What  became  of  that  part  of  the  crew  that  brought 
me  here  in  the  other  boat,  led  by  the  fires  you  had  lighted, 
I  am  in  doubt.  But  I  think  on  quitting  the  island,  crowded 
as  their  boat  was,  and  in  the  state  of  its  crew,  it  was 
scarcely  possible  for  them  to  have  made  the  distant  island 
for  which  they  steered." 


Chapter  XL 

Mrs  Reichardt's  story  made  a  sensible  impression  on 
me.  I  no  longer  wondered  at  the  pallor  of  her  counten- 
ance, or  the  air  of  melancholy  that  at  first  seemed  so 
remarkable ;  she  had  suffered  most  severely,  and  her 
sufferings  were  too  recent  not  to  have  left  their  effects 
upon  her  frame. 

I  thought  a  good  deal  about  her  narrative,  and  wondered 
much  that  men  could  be  got  to  leave  their  comfortable 
homes,  and  travel  thousands  and  thousands  of  miles  across 
the  fathomless  seas,  with  the  hope  of  converting  a  nation 
of  treacherous  savages,  by  whom  they  were  sure  to  be 
slaughtered  at  the  first  outbreak  of  ill-feeling. 

I  could  not  but  admire  the  character  of  Reichardt — in 
all  his  actions   he   had   exhibited   a   marked   nobility   of 


212  The  Little  Savage 

nature.  He  would  not  present  himself  before  the  woman 
who  had  the  strongest  claims  upon  his  gratitude,  till  he 
had  obtained  a  position  and  a  reputation  that  should,  in  his 
opinion,  make  him  worthy  of  her ;  and  though  he  had,  a 
presentiment  of  the  fate  that  would  overtake  him,  he 
fulfilled  his  duties  as  a  missionary  with  a  holy  enthusiasm 
that  made  him  regard  his  approaching  martyrdom  as  the 
greatest  of  all  earthly  distinctions.  I  felt  regret  that  I  had 
not  known  such  a  man.  I  knew  how  much  I  had  lost  in 
having  missed  such  an  example. 

My  having  heard  this  story  led  me  into  much  private 
communing  with  myself  respecting  religion.  I  could 
consider  myself  little  better  than  a  savage,  like  the  brutal 
Sandwich  Islanders  ;  my  conduct  to  Jackson  had  been 
only  in  a  degree  less  inhuman  than  that  these  idolaters  had 
shewn  to  their  teacher  when  he  was  in  their  power.  I 
fancied  at  the  time  that  I  served  him  right,  for  his 
villainous  conduct  to  my  father,  and  brutal  conduct  to  me  : 
but  God  having  punished  him  for  his  misdeeds,  I  felt 
satisfied  I  had  no  business  to  put  him  to  greater  torment 
as  satisfaction  for  my  own  private  injuries.  I  fancied  God 
might  have  been  angry  with  me,  and  had  kept  me  on  the 
island  as  a  punishment  for  my  offences  ;  and  I  had  some 
conversation  with  Mrs  Reichardt  on  this  point. 

**  Nothing,"  she  observed,  "  can  excuse  your  ill-feeling 
towards  Jackson  ;  he  was  a  bad  man,  without  a  doubt, 
and  he  deserved  condign  punishment  for  his  usage  of  your 
parents  ;  but  the  Divine  founder  of  our  religion  has  urged 
us  to  return  good  for  evil." 

"  Yes,"  I  answered  readily,  "  but  I  should  have  suffered 
as  bad  as  my  father  and  mother,  had  I  not  prevented  his 
doing  me  mischief." 

"  You  do  not  know  that  you  were  to  suffer,"  she 
replied.  "  Jackson,  without  such  terrible  punishment  as 
he  brought  upon  himself,  might  eventually  have  become 
contrite,  and  have  restored  you  to  your  friends  as  well  as 
enabled  you  to  obtain  your  grandfather's  property.  God 
frequently  performs  marvellous  things  with  such  humble 


The  Little  Savage  213 

instruments,  for  he  hath  said,  'There  is  more  joy  in 
heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth,  than  over  ninety- 
nine  just  men.'" 

"Surely,  this  is  raising  the  wicked  man  over  the  good," 
I  cried. 

"Not  at  all,"  she  replied.  "The  repentant  is  one 
gained  from  the  ranks  of  the  great  enemy — it  is  as  one 
that  was  lost  and  is  found  again — it  is  a  soul  added  to  the 
blessed.  Therefore  the  joy  in  heaven  is  abundant  at  such 
a  conversion.  The  just  are  the  natural  heirs  of  heaven — 
their  rights  are  acknowledged  without  dispute — their 
claim  is  at  once  recognised  and  allowed,  and  they  receive 
their  portion  of  eternal  joy  as  a  matter  of  course,  without 
there  being  any  necessity  for  exciting  those  demonstra- 
tions of  satisfaction  which  hail  the  advent  of  a  sinner 
saved." 

"I  don't  think  such  a  villain  as  Jackson  would  ever  go 
to  heaven,"  I  observed. 

"'Judge  not,  lest  ye  be  judged,'"  she  answered;  "that 
is  a  text  that  cannot  be  too  often  impressed  upon  persons 
anxious  to  condemn  to  eternal  torment  all  those  they 
believe  to  be  worse  than  themselves.  It  is  great  pre- 
sumption in  us  poor  creatures  of  clay,  to  anticipate  the 
proceedings  of  the  Infinite  Wisdom.  Let  us  leave  the 
high  prerogative  of  judgment  to  the  Almighty  Power,  by 
whom  only  it  is  exercised,  and  in  our  opinions  of  even 
the  worst  of  our  fellow-creatures,  let  us  exercise  a 
comprehensive  charity,  mingled  with  a  prayer  that  even 
at  the  eleventh  hour,  they  may  have  turned  from  the 
evil  of  their  ways,  and  embraced  the  prospect  of  salva- 
tion, which  the  mercy  of  their  Creator  has  held  out  to 
them." 

In  this  and  similar  conversations,  Mrs  Reichardt  would 
endeavour  to  plant  in  my  mind  the  soundest  views  of 
religion;  and  she  spoke  so  well,  and  so  convincingly, 
that  I  had  little  trouble  in  understanding  her  meaning,  or 
in  retaining  it  after  it  had  been  uttered. 

It  was  not,  as  I  have  before  stated,  to  religion  only 


214  The  Little  Savage 

that  she  led  my  thoughts,  although  that  certainly  was 
the  most  frequent  subject  of  our  conversation.  She 
sought  to  instruct  me  in  the  various  branches  of 
knowledge  into  which  she  had  acquired  some  insight, 
and  in  this  way  I  picked  up  as  much  information  respect- 
ing grammar,  geography,  astronomy,  writing,  arithmetic, 
history,  and  morals,  as  I  should  have  gained  had  I  been 
at  a  school,  instead  of  being  forced  to  remain  on  a  desolate 
island. 

I  need  not  say  that  I  still  desired  to  leave  it.  I  had 
long  been  tired  of  the  place,  notwithstanding  that  from 
our  united  exertions,  we  enjoyed  many  comforts  which 
we  could  not  have  hoped  for.  Our  hut  we  had  meta- 
morphosed into  something  Mrs  Reichardt  styled  a  rustic 
cottage,  which,  covered  as  it  was  with  flowers  and 
creepers,  really  looked  very  pretty ;  and  the  garden  added 
greatly  to  its  pleasant  appearance :  for  near  the  house 
we  had  transplanted  everything  that  bore  a  flower  that 
could  be  found  in  the  island,  and  had  planted  some  shrubs, 
that,  having  been  carefully  nurtured  made  rapid  growth, 
and  screened  the  hut  from  the  wind. 

I  had  built  a  sort  of  out-house  for  storing  potatoes  and 
firewood,  and  a  fowl-house  for  the  gannets,  which  were 
now  a  numerous  flock  ;  and  had  planted  a  fence  round 
the  garden,  so  that  as  Mrs  Reichardt  said,  we  looked  as 
if  we  had  selected  a  dwelling  in  our  own  beloved  England, 
in  the  heart  of  a  rural  district,  instead  of  our  being  circum- 
scribed in  a  little  island  thousands  of  miles  across  the 
wide  seas,  from  the  home  of  which  we  were  so  fond  of 
talking. 

Although  my  companion  always  spoke  warmly  of  the 
land  of  her  birth,  and  evidently  would  have  been  glad 
to  return  to  it,  she  never  grieved  over  her  hard  fate  in 
being,  as  it  were,  a  prisoner  on  a  rock,  out  of  reach  of 
friends  and  kindred ;  indeed,  she  used  to  chide  me  for 
being  impatient  of  my  detention,  and  insensible  of  the 
blessings  I  enjoyed. 

"  What  temptations  are  we  not  free  from  here  ? "  she 


I 


The  Little  Savage  215 

would  say.  "  We  see  nothing  of  the  world ;  we  cannot 
be  contaminated  with  its  vices,  or  suffer  from  its  follies. 
The  hideous  wars — the  terrible  revolutions — the  dreadful 
visitations  of  famine  and  pestilence  —  are  completely- 
unknown  to  us.  Robbery,  and  murder,  and  fraud,  and 
the  thousand  other  phases  of  human  wickedness,  we 
altogether  escape.  There  was  a  time,  when  men,  for 
the  purpose  of  leading  holy  lives,  abandoned  the  fair 
cities  in  which  they  had  lived  in  the  enjoyment  of  every 
luxury,  and  sought  a  cave  in  some  distant  desert,  where, 
in  the  lair  of  some  wild  beast,  with  a  stone  for  a  pillow, 
a  handful  of  herbs  for  a  meal,  and  a  cup  of  water  for 
beveridge,  they  lived  out  the  remnant  of  their  days  in 
a  constant  succession  of  mortifications,  prayers,  and 
penitence. 

**How  different,"  she  added,  "is  our  own  state.  We 
are  as  far  removed  from  the  sinfulness  of  the  world  as 
any  hermit  of  the  desert,  whilst  we  have  the  enjoyment 
of  comforts  to  which  they  were  strangers." 

**  But  probably,"  I  observed,  **  these  men  were  penitents, 
and  went  into  the  desert  as  much  to  punish  their  bodies 
for  the  transgressions  of  the  flesh,  as  to  acquire  by 
solitary  communion,  a  better  knowledge  of  the  spirit  than 
they  were  likely  to  obtain  in  their  old  haunts." 

**Some  were  penitents,  no  doubt,"  she  answered,  "  but 
they,  having  obtained  by  their  sanctity  an  extraordinary 
reputation,  induced  others,  whose  lives  had  been  blame- 
less, to  follow  their  example,  and  in  time  the  desert 
became  colonised  with  recluses,  who  rivalled  each  other 
in  the  intensity  of  their  devotions  and  the  extent  of  their 
privations." 

"Would  it  not  have  been  more  commendable,"  I 
asked,  "  if  these  men  had  remained  in  the  community  to 
which  they  belonged,  withstanding  temptation,  and  been 
employed  in  labour  that  was  creditable  to  themselves  and 
useful  to  their  country  ?  " 

"  No  doubt  it  would,"  she  replied  ;  "  but  religion  has, 
unfortunately,  too  often  been  the  result  of  impulse  rather 


2i6  The  Little  Savage 

than  conviction ;  and  at  the  period  to  which  we  are 
referring,  it  was  thought  that  sinful  human  nature  could 
only  gain  the  attributes  of  saintship  by  neglecting  its 
social  duties,  and  punishing  its  humanity  in  the  severest 
manner.  Even  in  more  recent  times,  and  at  the  present 
day,  in  Catholic  countries,  it  is  customary  for  individuals 
of  both  sexes,  to  abandon  the  world  of  which  they  might 
render  themselves  ornaments,  and  shut  themselves  up  in 
buildings  constructed  expressly  to  receive  them,  where 
they  continue  to  go  through  a  course  of  devotions  and 
privations  till  death  puts  an  end  to  their  voluntary  im- 
prisonment. 

"In  this  modified  instance  of  seclusion,"  she  added, 
^*  there  are  features  very  different  from  our  own  case. 
We  are  not  forced  to  impoverish  our  blood  with  insufficient 
diet,  or  mortify  our  flesh  with  various  forms  of  punishment. 
"We  do  not  neglect  the  worship  of  God.  We  offer  up 
daily  thanks  for  his  loving  care  of  us,  and  sing  his  praises 
in  continual  hymns :  and  instead  of  wasting  the  hours  of 
the  day  in  unmeaning  penances,  we  fill  up  our  time  in 
employments  that  add  to  our  health,  comfort,  and  happi- 
ness :  and  that  enable  us  the  better  to  appreciate  the 
goodness  of  that  Power  who  is  so  mindful  of  our  welfare." 

"Have  you  no  wish  then,  to  leave  this  island?"  I 
inquired. 

"  I  should  gladly  avail  myself  of  the  first  opportunity 
that  presented  itself  for  getting  safely  to  England,"  she 
replied.  "But  I  would  wait  patiently  the  proper  time. 
It  is  not  only  useless  repining  at  our  prolonged  stay  here, 
but  it  looks  like  an  ungrateful  doubting  of  the  power  of 
God  to  remove  us.  Be  assured  that  he  has  not  preserved 
us  so  long,  and  through  so  many  dangers,  to  abandon  us 
when  we  most  require  his  interposition  in  our  favour." 

I  endeavoured  to  gather  consolation  from  such  repre- 
sentations ;  but  perhaps  young  people  are  not  so  easily 
reconciled  to  what  they  do  not  like,  as  are  their  elders,  for 
I  cannot  say  I  succeeded  in  becoming  satisfied  with  my 
position. 


i 
i 


The  Little  Savage  217 


Chapter  XLl 

The  perils  of  my  first  voyage  had  deterred  me  from 
making  a  similar  experiment ;  but  I  recovered  my  boat, 
and  having  further  strengthened  it,  fitted  it  with  what 
could  either  be  turned  into  a  well  or  locker:  I  used  to 
row  out  a  little  distance  when  the  sea  was  free  from  sharks 
and  fish. 

But  my  grand  efibrt  in  this  direction  was  the  completion 
of  a  net,  which,  assisted  by  Mrs  Reichardt,  I  managed  to 
manufacture.  By  this  time  she  had  gained  sufficient  con- 
fidence to  accompany  me  in  my  fishing  excursions  j  she 
would  even  take  the  oars  whilst  I  threw  out  the  net,  and 
assisted  me  in  dragging  it  into  the  boat. 

The  first  time  we  got  such  a  haul,  that  I  was  afraid  of 
the  safety  of  our  little  craft.  The  locker  was  full,  and 
numbers  of  great  fish,  as  I  flung  them  out  of  the  net,  were 
flapping  and  leaping  about  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  It 
began  to  sink  lower  in  the  water  than  was  agreeable  to 
either  of  us,  and  I  found  it  absolutely  necessary  to  throw 
back  into  the  sea  the  greater  portion  of  our  catch.  We 
then  rowed  carefully  to  land,  rejoicing  that  we  had  at  our 
command,  the  means  of  obtaining  an  abundant  supply  of 
food  whenever  we  desired  it. 

Mrs  Reichardt  was  with  me  also  in  our  land  excursions. 
Together  we  had  explored  every  part  of  the  island ;  our 
chief  object  was  plants  for  enriching  our  garden,  and  often 
as  we  had  been  in  search  of  novelties,  we  invariably 
brought  home  additions  to  our  collection ;  and  my  com- 
panion having  acquired  some  knowledge  of  botany,  would 
explain  to  me  the  names,  characters,  and  qualities  of  the 
different  species,  which  made  our  journeys  peculiarly 
interesting. 

Our  appearance  often  caused  considerable  amusement  to 
each  other;  for  our  respective  costumes  must  have  been 
extremely  curious  in  the  eyes  of  a  stranger.     Neither  wore 


2i8  The  Little  Savage 

shoes  or  stockings — these  things  we  did  not  possess,  and 
could  not  procure ;  we  wore  leggings  and  sandals  of  seal 
skin  to  protect  us  from  the  thorns  and  plants  of  the  cacti 
tribe,  among  which  we  were  obliged  to  force  our  way. 
My  companion  wore  a  conical  cap  of  seal  skin,  and  protected 
her  complexion  from  the  sun,  by  a  rude  attempt  at  an 
umbrella  I  had  made  for  her. 

She  had  on,  on  these  occasions,  a  pair  of  coarse  cloth 
trousers,  as  her  own  dress  would  have  been  torn  to  pieces 
beorfe  she  had  got  half  a  mile  through  the  bush  ;  these 
were  surmounted  by  a  tight  spencer  she  had  herself  manu- 
factured out  of  a  man's  waistcoat,  and  a  dimity  petticoat, 
which  buttoned  up  to  her  throat,  and  was  fastened  in  the 
same  way  at  the  wrists. 

My  head  was  covered  with  a  broad-brimmed  hat,  made 
of  dry  grass,  which  I  had  myself  platted.  I  wore  a  sailor's 
jacket,  much  the  worse  for  wear,  patched  with  seal  skin, 
over  a  pair  of  duck  trousers,  similarly  repaired. 

Although  our  expeditions  were  perfectly  harmless,  we 
did  not  go  without  weapons.  At  the  instigation  of  my 
companion,  I  had  made  myself  a  good  stout  bow  and 
plenty  of  arrows,  and  had  exercised  myself  so  frequently 
at  aiming  at  a  mark,  as  to  have  acquired  very  considerable 
skill  in  the  use  of  them.  I  had  now  several  arrows  of 
hard  wood  tipped  with  sharp  fish-bones,  and  some  with 
iron  nails,  in  a  kind  of  pouch  behind  me ;  in  its  sheath 
before  me  was  my  American  knife,  which  I  used  for  taking 
the  plants  from  the  ground.  I  had  a  basket  made  of  the 
long  grass  of  the  island,  slung  around  me,  which  served 
to  contain  our  treasures ;  and  I  carried  my  bow  in  my 
hand. 

My  companion,  in  addition  to  her  umbrella,  bore  only  a 
long  staff,  and  a  small  basket  tied  round  her  waist  that 
usually  contained  a  little  refreshment ;  for  she  would  say 
there  was  no  knowing  what  might  occur  to  delay  our 
return,  and  therefore  it  was  better  to  take  our  meal  with 
us.  And  not  the  least  agreeable  portion  of  the  day's 
labour  was  our  repast ;   for  we  would  seat  ourselves  in 


The  Little  Savage  219 

some  quiet  corner,  surrounded  by  flowers,  and  shaded  by 
the  brushwood  from  the  sun,  and  there  eat  our  dried  fish 
or  pick  our  birds,  and  roast  our  potatoes  by  means  of  a 
fire  of  dried  sticks,  and  wash  down  our  simple  dinner  with 
a  flask  of  pure  water — the  most  refreshing  portion  of  our 
banquet. 

I  had,  as  I  have  just  stated,  attained  a  singular  degree 
of  skill  in  the  use  of  the  bow  and  arrow,  which,  as  we  had 
no  fire-arms,  was  often  of  important  service  in  procuring 
food  on  land. 

I  had  made  another  use  of  my  skill — an  application  of 
it  which  afforded  me  a  vast  deal  of  satisfaction.  My  old 
enemies  the  sharks  used  still  to  frequent  a  certain  portion 
of  the  coast  in  great  numbers,  and  as  soon  as  I  became 
master  of  my  weapon,  I  would  stand  as  near  to  the  edge 
of  the  rock  as  was  safe,  and  singling  out  my  victim,  aim  at 
his  upper  fin,  which  I  often  found  had  the  eflect  of  ridding 
the  place  of  that  fellow. 

I  bore  such  an  intense  hatred  to  these  creatures,  for  the 
fright  they  had  put  me  into  during  my  memorable  voyage 
of  discovery,  and  for  the  slaughter  of  my  beloved  Nero, 
that  I  determined  to  wage  incessant  war  against  them,  as 
long  as  I  could  manufacture  an  arrow,  or  a  single  shark 
remained  on  the  coast. 

As  we  had  so  often  traversed  the  island  without  accident, 
we  dreamt  not  of  danger.  We  had  never  met  with  any 
kind  of  animals,  except  our  old  friends  the  seals,  who  kept 
near  the  sea.  Of  birds,  the  gannets  were  generally  the 
sole  frequenters  of  the  island ;  but  we  had  seen,  at  rare 
intervals,  birds  of  a  totally  different  character,  some  of 
which  I  had  shot. 

Indeed,  during  our  excursions,  I  was  always  on  the 
look  out  for  any  stranger  of  the  feathered  race,  that  I 
might  exercise  my  skill  upon  him.  If  he  proved  eatable, 
he  was  sure  to  be  very  welcome  ;  and  even  if  he  could 
not  be  cooked,  he  afforded  me  some  entertainment,  in  hear- 
ing from  Mrs  Reichardt  his  name  and  habits. 

We  had  discovered  a  natural  hollow  which  lay  so  low 


2  20  The  Little  Savage 

that  it  was  quite  hid  till  we  came  close  to  it,  when  we  had 
to  descend  a  steep  declivity  covered  with  shrubs.  At  the 
bottom  was  a  soil  evidently  very  productive,  for  we  found 
trees  growing  there  to  a  considerable  height,  that  were 
in  marked  contrast  to  the  shrubby  plants  that  grew  in 
other  parts  of  the  island.  We  called  this  spot  the  Happy 
Valley,  and  it  became  a  favourite  resting-place. 

I  remember  on  one  of  these  occasions,  we  had  made  our 
dinner  after  having  been  several  hours  employed  in  seeking 
for  plants,  of  which  we  had  procured  a  good  supply,  and 
the  remains  of  our  meal  lay  under  a  great  tree,  beneath 
the  spreading  branches  of  which  we  had  been  resting 
ourselves. 

It  was  quite  on  the  other  side  of  the  island,  within 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  sea.  Abundance  of 
curious  plants  grew  about  the  place,  and  Mrs  Reichardt 
had  wandered  to  a  little  distance  to  examine  all  within 
view. 

I  was  peering  into  the  trees  and  shrubs  around  to  dis- 
cover a  new  comer.  I  had  wandered  in  an  opposite 
direction  to  that  taken  by  my  companion,  and  was  creeping 
round  a  clump  of  shrubs  about  twenty  yards  off,  in  which 
I  detected  a  chirping  noise,  when  I  heard  a  loud  scream. 

I  turned  sharply  round  and  beheld  Mrs  Reichardt, 
evidently  in  an  agony  of  terror,  running  towards  me  with 
prodigious  swiftness.  She  had  dropped  her  umbrella  and 
her  staff,  her  cap  had  fallen  from  her  head,  and  her 
long  hair,  disarranged  by  her  sudden  flight,  streamed 
behind  her  shoulders. 

At  first  I  did  not  see  anything  which  could  have  caused 
this  terrible  alarm,  but  in  a  few  seconds  I  heard  a  crushing 
among  a  thicket  of  shrubs  from  which  she  was  running,  as 
if  some  heavy  weight  was  being  forced  through  them  ;  and 
presently  there  issued  a  most  extraordinary  monster.  It 
came  forward  at  a  quick  pace,  its  head  erect  above  ten  feet, 
its  jaws  wide  open,  from  the  midst  of  which  there 
issued  a  forked  tongue  which  darted  in  and  out  with 
inconceivable  rapidity.     Its  body  was  very  long,  and  thick 


The  Little  Savage  221 

as  an  ordinary  tree ;  it  was  covered  over  with  bright 
shining  scales  that  seemed  to  have  different  colours,  and 
was  propelled  along  the  ground  in  folds  of  various  sizes, 
with  a  length  of  tail  of  several  yards  behind.  Its  eyes 
were  very  bright  and  fierce.  Its  appearance  certainly 
accounted  for  my  companion's  alarm. 

it  Ply  j "  she  cried  in  accents  of  intense  terror,  as  she 
rushed  towards  me,  **  fly,  or  you  are  lost  !  " 

She  then  gave  a  hurried  glance  behind  her,  and  seeing 
the  formidable  monster  in  full  chase,  she  just  had  power  to 
reach  the  spot  to  which  I  had  advanced,  and  sunk  over- 
powered with  terror,  fainting  at  my  feet. 

My  first  movement  was  to  step  across  her  body  for  the 
purpose  of  disputing  the  passage  of  the  monster,  and  in  an 
erect  posture,  with  my  bow  drawn  tight  as  I  could  pull  it, 
I  waited  a  few  seconds  till  I  could  secure  a  good  aim,  for 
I  knew  everything  depended  on  my  steadiness  and 
resolution. 

On  came  my  prodigious  antagonist,  making  a  terrible 
hissing  as  he  approached,  his  eyes  flashing,  his  jaws 
expanded  as  if  he  intended  to  swallow  me  at  a  mouthful, 
and  the  enormous  folds  of  his  huge  body  passing  like 
wheels  over  the  ground,  crushing  the  thick  plants  that 
came  in  their  way  like  grass. 

I  must  acknowledge  that  in  my  heart  I  felt  a  strange 
s-inking  sensation,  but  I  remembered  that  our  only  chance 
of  escape  lay  in  giving  the  monster  a  mortal  wound,  and 
the  imminence  of  the  danger  seemed  to  afford  me  the 
resolution  I  required. 

He  was  close  behind,  and  in  a  direct  line  with  the  tree 
under  which  we  had  dined,  and  I  was  about  twenty  yards 
from  it.  Directly  his  head  darted  round  and  in  front  of 
the  tree,  making  a  good  mark,  I  let  fly  the  arrow  direct, 
as  I  thought,  for  his  eye,  hoping,  by  penetrating  his  brain, 
to  settle  him  at  once.  But  as  he  moved  his  head  at  that 
moment,  the  arrow  went  into  his  open  jaws,  one  of  which 
it  penetrated,  and  going  deep  into  the  tree  behind,  pinned 
his  head  close  to  the  bark. 


22  2  The  Little  Savage 

As  soon  as  the  huge  creature  found  himself  hurt,  he 
wound  his  enormous  body  round  the  trunk,  and  with  his 
desperate  exertions  swayed  the  great  tree  backwards  and 
forwards,  as  I  would  have  done  one  of  its  smallest 
branches.  Fearful  that  he  would  liberate  himself  before  I 
could  save  my  senseless  companion,  as  quick  as  possible  I 
discharged  all  my  arrows  into  his  body,  which  took  effect 
in  various  places.  His  exertions  then  became  so  terrible 
that  I  hastily  snatched  up  Mrs  Reichardt  in  my  arms,  and 
with  a  fright  that  seemed  to  give  me  supernatural  strength, 
I  ran  as  fast  as  I  could  the  shortest  way  to  our  hut. 
Fortunately,  before  I  had  gone  half  a  mile,  my  companion 
came  to  her  senses,  and  was  able  to  continue  her  flight. 

We  got  home  at  last,  half  dead  with  fatigue  and  fright ; 
nevertheless  the  first  thing  we  did  was  to  barricade  all  the 
entrances.  We  left  loop-holes  to  reconnoitre ;  and  there 
we  sat  for  hours  after  our  arrival,  waiting  the  monster's 
approach  in  fear  and  trembling. 

We  did  not  go  to  sleep  that  night.  We  did  not,  either 
of  us,  go  out  the  next  day.  The  next  night  one  watched 
while  the  other  slept.  The  second  day  my  courage 
had  so  far  returned,  I  wanted  to  go  and  look  after  the 
constant  subject  of  our  conversation.  But  Mrs  Reichardt 
dissuaded  me. 

She  told  me  it  was  an  enormous  python,  or  serpent  of 
the  boa  species,  that  are  common  on  the  northern  coast  of 
America.  Probably  it  had  been  brought  to  the  island  on  a 
drifted  tree,  and  being  so  prodigious  a  reptile,  the  wounds 
it  had  received  were  not  likely  to  do  it  much  harm,  and  it 
would  be  no  doubt  lurking  about,  ready  to  pounce  upon 
either  of  us  directly  we  appeared. 

On  the  third  day,  nothing  having  occurred  to  increase 
our  alarm,  I  determined  to  know  the  worst ;  so  I  got  by 
stealth  out  of  the  house,  and  armed  with  a  fresh  bow,  a  good 
supply  of  arrows,  a  hatchet  slung  at  my  side,  and  my 
American  knife — with  my  mind  made  up  for  another 
conflict  if  necessary — I  crept  stealthily  along,  with  my  eyes 
awake  to  the   slightest  motion,  and   my  ears  open  to  the 


The  Little  Savage  223 

slightest  sound,  till  I  approached  the  scene  of  my  late 
unequal  struggle. 

I  must  own  I  began  to  draw  my  breath  rather  rapidly, 
and  my  heart  beat  more  quickly,  as  I  came  near  the  place 
where  I  had  left  my  terrible  enemy.  To  my  extreme 
surprise  the  python  had  disappeared.  There  was  a  tree 
still  standing,  though  its  foliage  and  branches  strewed  the 
ground,  and  a  great  portion  of  its  bark  was  ground  to 
powder.  At  the  base  of  the  trunk  was  a  pool  of  blood 
mingled  with  fragments  of  bark,  broken  arrows,  leaves, 
and  mould.  The  reptile  had  escaped.  But  where  was  he  ? 
Not  altogether  without  anxiety  I  began  to  look  for  traces 
of  his  retreat ;  and  they  were  easily  found.  "With  my 
arrow  ready  for  immediate  flight,  I  followed  a  stream  of 
blood  that  was  still  visible  on  the  grass,  and  led  from  the 
tree,  accompanied  by  unmistakeable  marks  of  the  great 
serpent's  progress,  in  a  direct  line  to  the  sea.  There  it 
disappeared. 

When  I  discovered  this,  I  breathed  again.  There  was 
no  doubt  if  the  monster  survived  the  conflict,  he  was 
hundreds  of  miles  away,  and  was  not  likely  to  return  to  a 
place  where  he  had  received  so  rough  a  welcome.  It  may 
readily  be  believed  I  lost  no  time  in  taking  the  agreeable 
news  to  my  companion. 


Chapter    XLII 

I  HAD  become  tired  of  looking  out  for  a  ship.  Though 
day  after  day,  and  week  after  week,  I  made  the  most 
careful  scrutiny  with  my  glass,  as  I  have  said,  it  brought  no 
result.  I  sometimes  fancied  I  saw  a  vessel  appearing  in 
the  line  of  the  horizon,  and  I  would  pile  up  faggots  and 
light  them,  and  throw  on  water  to  make  them  smoke,  as 
Jackson  had  done  ;  but  all  without  avail.  Either  my  vision 
had  deceived  me,  or  my  signals  had  not  been  observed,  or 
the  ship's  course  did  not  lie  in  the  direction  of  the  island. 


224  The  Little  Savage 

We  had  had  storms  too  on  several  occasions,  but  no 
wreck  had  been  left  on  our  coast.  I  began  to  think  we 
were  doomed  to  live  out  our  lives  on  this  rock,  and 
frequently  found  myself  striving  very  manfully  to  be 
resigned  to  my  fate,  and  for  a  few  days  I  would  cheerfully 
endeavour  to  make  the  best  of  it.  But  the  increasing 
desire  I  felt  to  get  to  England,  that  I  might  seek  out  my 
grandfather,  and  put  him  in  possession  of  his  diamonds, 
always  prevented  this  state  of  things  enduring  very  long. 
I  had  obtained  from  Mrs  Reichardt  an  idea  of  the  value  of 
these  stones,  and  of  the  importance  of  their  restoration  to 
my  relative,  and  I  had  often  thought  of  the  satisfaction  1 
should  enjoy  in  presenting  myself  before  him,  as  the 
restorer  of  such  valuable  property,  which,  no  doubt,  had 
long  since  been  given  up  as  lost. 

But  latterly,  I  thought  less  of  these  things  ;  the  chance 
of  leaving  the  island  seemed  so  remote,  and  the  prospect 
of  ever  seeing  my  grandfather  so  very  distant,  that  I  had 
ceased  to  take  any  interest  in  the  contents  of  the  belt. 
The  diamonds  seemed  to  become  as  valueless  as  they  were 
useless  ;  a  handful  of  wheat  would  have  been  much  more 
desirable.  It  was  now  some  time  since  I  had  seen  the 
belt,  or  inquired  about  it. 

Thus  we  lived  without  any  incident  occurring  worth 
relating — when  one  day  the  appearance  of  the  atmosphere 
indicated  a  storm,  and  a  very  violent  hurricane,  attended 
with  peals  of  thunder  and  lurid  flashes  of  lightning, 
lasted  during  the  whole  of  the  day  and  evening.  The 
wind  tore  up  the  trees  by  the  roots,  blew  down  our  out- 
houses, made  terrible  havoc  in  our  garden,  and  threatened 
to  tumble  our  hut  over  our  heads. 

We  could  not  think  of  going  to  our  beds  whilst  such 
a  tempest  was  raging  around  us,  so  we  sat  up,  listening  to 
the  creaking  of  the  boards,  and  anticipating  every  moment 
that  the  whole  fabric  would  be  blown  to  pieces.  For- 
tunately, the  bark  with  which  I  had  covered  the  roof,  in  a 
great  measure  protected  us  from  the  rain,  which  came 
down  in  torrents  ;  but  every  part  was  not  equally  imper- 


The  Little  Savage  225 

vious,  and  our  discomfort  was  increased  by  seeing  the 
water  drip  through,  and  form  pools  on  the  floor. 

The  thunder  still  continued  at  intervals,  and  was  some- 
times so  loud  as  to  have  a  most  startling  effect  upon  us. 
My  companion  knelt  down  and  said  her  prayers  with  great 
fervour,  and  I  joined  in  them  with  scarcely  less  devotion. 
Indeed  it  was  an  awful  night,  and  our  position,  though 
under  shelter,  was  not  without  danger.  The  incessant 
flashes  of  lightning  seemed  to  play  round  our  edifice,  as  if 
determined  to  set  it  in  a  blaze  ;  and  the  dreadful  peals  of 
thunder  that  followed,  rolled  over  our  heads,  as  if  about 
to  burst  upon  the  creaking  boards  that  shut  us  from  its 
fury. 

I  fancied  once  or  twice  that  I  heard  during  the  storm 
bursts  of  sound  quite  different  in  character  from  the  peals 
of  thunder.  They  were  not  so  loud,  and  did  not  rever- 
berate so  much  ;  they  seemed  to  come  nearer,  and  then 
the  difference  in  sound  became  very  perceptible. 

"  Great  God  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs  Reichardt,  starting  up 
from  her  kneeling  posture,  "  that  is  a  gun  from  some 
ship." 

The  wind  seemed  less  boisterous  for  a  few  seconds,  and 
the  thunder  ceased.  We  listened  breathlessly  for  the  loud 
boom  we  had  just  heard,  but  it  was  not  repeated.  In  a 
moment  afterwards  our  ears  were  startled  by  the  most 
terrifying  combination  of  screams,  shrieks,  cries,  and 
wailings  I  had  ever  heard.  My  blood  seemed  chilled  in 
my  veins. 

*'  A  ship  has  just  struck,"  whispered  my  companion, 
scarcely  above  her  breath.  *'  The  Lord  have  mercy  on 
the  crew  !  " 

She  sank  on  her  knees  again  in  prayer,  as  if  for  the 
poor  souls  who  were  struggling  in  the  jaws  of  death. 
The  wind  still  howled,  and  the  thunder  still  roared,  but 
in  the  fiercest  war  of  the  elements,  I  fancied  I  could  every 
now  and  then  hear  the  piercing  shrieks  sent  up  to  heaven 
for  assistance.  I  thought  once  or  twice  of  venturing  out, 
but  I  remembered  the  safety  of  my  companion  was  so 
L.s.  p 


U. 


2  26  The  Little  Savage 

completely  bound  up  with  my  own,  that  I  could  not 
reconcile  myself  to  leaving  her  j  and  I  was  also  well 
aware,  that  till  the  terrible  fury  of  the  tempest  abated,  it 
was  impossible  for  me  to  be  of  the  slightest  service  to 
the  people  of  the  wrecked  ship,  even  could  I  remain 
unharmed  exposed  to  the  violence  of  the  v/eather. 

I  however  awaited  with  much  impatience  and  intense 
anxiety  till  the  storm  had  in  some  measure  spent  itself  ^ 
but  this  did  not  occur  till  sunrise  the  next  morning.  The. 
wind  fell,  the  thunder  and  lightning  ceased,  the  rain  was 
evidently  diminishing,  and  the  brightness  of  the  coming 
day  began  to  burst  through  the  darkest  night  that  had 
ever  visited  the  island. 

Mrs  Reichardt  would  not  be  left  behind ;  it  was 
possible  she  might  be  useful,  and  taking  with  her  a 
small  basket  of  such  things  as  she  imagined  might  be 
required,  she  accompanied  me  to  the  rocks  nearest  the  sea. 

On  arriving  there,  the  most  extraordinary  scene  pre- 
sented itself.  The  sea  was  strewed  with  spars,  masts, 
chests,  boats  stove  in  or  otherwise  injured,  casks,  empty 
hen-coops,  and  innumerable  pieces  of  floating  wreck  that 
were  continually  dashed  against  the  rocks,  or  were  washed 
ashore,  wherever  an  opening  for  the  sea  presented  itself. 
At  a  little  distance  lay  the  remains  of  a  fine  ship,  her  masts 
gone  by  the  board,  her  decks  open,  in  fact  a  complete 
wreck,  over  which  the  sea  had  but  lately  been  making  a 
clean  sweep,  carrying  overboard  everything  that  could  not 
resist  its  fury. 

I  could  see  nothing  resembling  a  human  being,  though 
both  myself  and  my  companion  looked  carefully  round  in 
the  hope  of  discovering  some  poor  creature,  that  might 
need  assistance.  It  appeared,  however,  as  if  the  people 
of  the  ship  had  taken  to  their  boats,  which  had  been 
swamped,  and  most  probably  all  who  had  ventured  into 
them  had  been  devoured  by  the  sharks. 

Had  the  crew  remained  on  board,  they  would  in  all 
probability  have  been  saved ;  as  the  vessel  had  been 
thrown  almost  high  and  dry. 


The  Little  Savage  227 

As  soon  as  we  had  satisfied  ourselves  that  no  sharks 
were  in  the  neighbourhood,  I  launched  my  Uttle  boat,  and 
each  taking  an  oar,  we  pulled  in  the  direction  of  the 
wreck,  which  we  reached  in  a  few  minutes. 

She  had  heeled  over  after  striking,  and  the  water  was 
quite  smooth  under  her  lee.  I  contrived  to  climb  into  the 
main  chains,  and  from  thence  on  board,  and  was  soon 
afterwards  diligently  exploring  the  ship.  I  penetrated 
every  place  into  which  I  could  effect  an  entrance,  marvel- 
ling much  at  the  variety  of  things  I  beheld.  There 
seemed  such  an  abundance  of  everything,  and  of  things 
too  quite  new  to  me,  that  I  was  bewildered  by  their 
novelty  and  variety. 

Having  discovered  a  coil  of  new  rope,  I  hauled  it  on 
deck,  and  soon  made  fast  my  little  boat  to  the  ship. 
Then  I  made  a  hasty  rope  ladder  which  I  threw  over,  and 
Mrs  Reichardt  was  in  a  very  fev/  minutes  standing  by  my 
side.  Her  knowledge  was  necessary  to  inform  me  of  the 
uses  of  the  several  strange  things  I  saw,  and  to  select  for 
our  own  use  what  was  most  desirable.  She  being  well 
acquainted  with  the  interior  of  a  ship,  and  having  ex- 
plained to  me  its  numerous  conveniences,  I  could  not  but 
admire  the  ingenuity  of  man,  in  creating  such  stupendous 
machines. 

The  ship  having  much  water  in  the  hold,  I  was  forced 
to  dive  into  the  armoury.  It  was  the  first  time  I  had  seen 
such  things,  and  I  handled  the  muskets  and  pistols  with  a 
vast  deal  of  curiosity  ;  as  my  companion  explained  to  me 
how  they  were  loaded  and  fired,  I  at  once  saw  their 
advantage  over  the  bow  and  arrow,  and  was  selecting  two 
or  three  to  carry  away,  when  I  hesitated  on  being  assured 
they  would  be  perfectly  useless  without  ammunition.  I 
might  have  remained  content  with  my  own  savage 
weapons  that  had  already  served  me  so  well,  had  not  Mrs 
Reichardt,  in  the  course  of  our  survey,  discovered  several 
tin  canisters  of  powder  perfectly  uninjured,  with  abun- 
dance of  shot  and  bullets,  of  which  I  quickly  took 
possession. 


228  The  Little  Savage 

From  other  parts  of  the  vessel  we  selected  bags  of 
grain,  barrels  of  flour,  and  provisions  of  various  kinds  -y 
wearing  apparel,  boxes  of  tools,  with  numerous  bottles 
and  jars,  with  the  contents  of  which  I  was  perfectly 
unacquainted,  though  their  discovery  gave  great  gratifica- 
tion to  my  companion.  What  most  excited  my  wonder, 
were  various  kinds  of  agricultural  implements  that  we 
found  in  the  hold,  and  in  a  short  time  I  was  made  aware 
of  the  proper  employment  of  spades,  harrows,  ploughs, 
thrashing-machines,  and  many  other  things,  of  the  exis- 
tence of  which  I  had  never  before  dreamt. 

We  found  also  quantities  of  various  kinds  of  seeds  and 
roots,  and  some  sort  of  twigs  growing  in  pots,  which  Mrs 
Reichardt  particularly  begged  me  not  to  leave  behind,  as 
they  would  be  of  the  greatest  use  to  us ;  and  she  added 
that,  from  various  signs,  she  believed  that  the  ship  had 
been  an  emigrant  vessel  going  out  with  settlers,  but  to 
what  place  she  could  not  say. 

We  made  no  ceremony  in  breaking  open  lockers  and 
chests,  and  every  where  discovered  a  variety  of  things, 
which,  could  we  transfer  to  our  island,  would  add  greatly 
to  our  comfort ;  but  how  they  were  to  be  got  ashore,  was 
a  puzzle  which  neither  of  us  seemed  capable  of  solving. 
Our  little  boat  would  only  contain  a  few  of  the  lighter 
articles  ;  and  as  many  of  these  as  we  could  conveniently 
put  together  were  shortly  stowed  in  her. 

With  this  cargo  we  were  about  returning,  when  my 
companion  called  my  attention  to  a  noise  that  seemed  to 
come  from  a  distant  corner  of  the  vessel,  and  she  laughed 
and  exhibited  so  much  satisfaction  that  I  believed  we  were 
close  upon  some  discovery  far  more  important  than  any  we 
had  yet  hit  upon. 

We  continued  to  make  our  way  to  what  seemed  to  me  a 
very  out  of  the  way  part  of  the  vessel,  led  in  a  great 
measure  by  the  noises  that  proceeded  from  thence.  It 
was  so  dark  here,  that  we  were  obliged  to  get  a  light,  and 
my  companion  having  procured  a  ship's  lantern,  and  lighted 
it  by  means  of  a  tinderbox,  led  me  to  a  place  where  I  could 


The  Little  Savage  229 

discern  several  animals,  most  of  which  were  evidently- 
dead.  She  however  ascertained  that  there  were  two 
young  calves,  three  or  four  sheep,  and  as  many  young 
pigs,  still  giving  very  noisy  evidence  of  their  existence. 
She  searched  about  and  found  some  food  for  them,  which 
they  ate  with  great  avidity.  The  larger  animals  she  told 
me  were  cows  and  horses  ;  but  they  had  fallen  down,  and 
gave  no  signs  of  life. 

My  companion  and  myself  then  entered  into  a  long 
debate  as  to  how  we  were  to  remove  the  living  animals 
from  the  dead  ;  and  she  dwelt  very  eloquently  upon  the 
great  advantages  that  would  accrue  to  us,  if  we  could 
succeed  in  transporting  to  the  island  the  survivors. 

After  giving  them  a  good  feed,  seeing  we  could  not 
remove  them  at  present,  we  descended  safely  to  our  boat 
and  gained  the  shore  without  any  accident.  Then  having 
housed  our  treasures,  we  were  for  putting  together  a  raft 
of  the  various  planks  and  barrels  that  were  knocking 
against  the  rocks,  but  as  I  knew  this  would  take  a  good 
deal  of  time,  I  thought  I  would  inspect  the  ship's  boats, 
which,  bottom  upwards,  were  drifting  about  within  a  few 
yards  of  us. 

To  our  great  satisfaction,  one  I  ascertained  to  be  but 
little  injured,  and  having  forced  her  ashore,  with  our 
united  exertions  we  turned  her  over.  In  an  hour  we 
had  made  her  water-tight,  had  picked  up  her  oars,  and 
were  pulling  merrily  for  the  wreck. 


Chapter  XLIII 

Had  the  cows  or  horses  been  alive,  they  must  have  been 
left  behind,  for  we  could  not  have  removed  them,  but 
the  smaller  animals  were  with  comparatively  little  difficulty 
got  on  deck,  and  they  descended  with  me  into  the  boat. 
We  added  a  few  things  that  lay  handy,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
were   laughingly    driving    our    four-footed   treasures    on 


230 


The  Little  Savage 


shore,  to  the  extreme  astonishment  of  the  gannets,  which 
seemed  as  though  they  would  never  cease  to  flap  their 
wings,  as  their  new  associates  were  driven  by  them. 

In  the  same  way  we  removed  the  most  portable  of  the 
agricultural  implements,  bed  and  bedding,  cots,  and 
hammocks,  furniture,  the  framework  of  a  house,  preserved 
provisions  of  all  kinds,  a  medicine  chest,  boxes  of  books, 
crates  of  china  and  glass,  all  sorts  of  useful  tools,  and 
domestic  utensils ;  in  short,  in  the  course  of  the  next  two 
or  three  weeks,  by  repeated  journeys,  we  filled  every 
available  place  we  could  find  with  what  we  had  managed 
to  rescue. 

Then  came  another  terrible  storm  that  lasted  two  days, 
after  which  the  wreck  having  been  broken  up,  was 
scattered  in  every  direction.  I  however  managed  to 
secure  the  drift  wood,  tubs,  spars,  and  chests,  which 
were  all  got  on  shore,  and  proved  of  the  greatest  service 
to  me  some  time  afterwards. 

Numerous  as  our  acquisitions  had  been  in  this  way,  both 
of  us  had  been  infinitely  better  pleased  had  we  been  able 
to  rescue  some  of  the  ill-fated  crew,  to  whom  they  had 
once  belonged.  But  not  one  of  them  could  have  escaped, 
and  only  one  body  was  cast  on  shore,  which  was  that  of 
a  young  woman,  who  lay  with  her  face  to  the  ground, 
and  her  wet  clothes  clinging  round  her.  We  turned  her 
carefully  over,  and  I  beheld  a  face  that  seemed  to  me 
v/onderfuUy  fair  and  beautiful.  She  had  escaped  the 
sharks,  and  had  been  dead  several  hours — most  probably 
she  had  been  cast  on  shore  by  the  waves  soon  after  the 
ship  struck,  for  she  had  escaped  also  the  rocks,  which, 
had  she  been  dashed  against,  would  have  left  fearful  signs 
of  their  contact  on  her  delicate  frame. 

The  sight  of  her  corpse  gave  me  many  melancholy 
thoughts.  I  thought  of  the  delight  she  might  have  caused 
both  of  us,  had  she  been  saved.  What  a  pleasant  com- 
panion she  might  have  proved !  Indeed,  as  I  looked  on 
her  pale  cold  features,  I  fancied  that  she  might  have 
reconciled  me  to  ending  my  existence  on  the  island — ay^ 


^   'f  ^sx^-; 


f 


The  Little  Savage  231 

even  to  the  abandonment  of  my  favourite  scheme  of  seeking 
my  grandfather  to  give  him  back  his  diamonds. 

We  took  her  up  with  as  much  pity  and  affection  as  if 
she  were  our  nearest  and  dearest  relative,  and  carried  her 
home  and  placed  her  on  Mrs  Reichardt's  bed  ;  and  then 
I  laid  some  planks  together,  in  the  shape  of  v/hat  Mrs 
Reichardt  called  a  coffin — and  I  dug  her  a  deep  grave  in 
the  guano. 

And  all  the  while  I  found  myself  crying  as  I  had  never 
cried  before,  and  my  heart  seemed  weary  and  faint.  In 
solemn  silence  we  carried  her  to  her  grave,  and  read  over 
her  the  funeral  service  out  of  the  Prayer-book,  kneeling 
and  praying  for  this  nameless  creature,  whom  we  had 
never  seen  alive,  as  though  she  had  been  our  companion 
for  many  years  \  both  of  us  shedding  tears  for  her  hapless 
fate  as  if  we  had  lost  a  beloved  sister.  And  when  we  had 
filled  up  her  grave  and  departed,  we  went  home,  and 
passed  the  most  miserable  day  v/e  had  ever  had  to  endure 
since  we  had  first  been  cast  upon  the  island. 

I  had  now  numerous  occupations  that  kept  me  actively 
employed.  Still  I  could  not  for  a  long  time  help  recalling 
to  mind  that  pale  face  that  looked  so  piteously  upon  me 
when  I  first  beheld  it ;  and  then  I  would  leave  off  my 
work,  and  give  myself  up  to  my  melancholy  thoughts 
till  my  attention  was  called  off  by  some  appeal  from  my 
companion.  I  made  a  kind  of  monument  over  the  place 
where  she  was  buried,  and  planted  there  the  finest  flowers 
we  had  j  and  I  never  passed  the  spot  without  a  prayer, 
as  if  I  were  approaching  holy  ground. 

I  must  not  forget  to  add,  that  a  few  days  after  the 
wreck  we  were  agreeably  surprised  by  visitors  that, 
though  unexpected,  were  extremely  welcome.  I  had 
noticed  strange  birds  wandering  about  in  various  parts 
of  the  island.  On  their  coming  under  the  notice  of  my 
companion,  they  were  immediately  recognised  as  fowls 
and  ducks  that  had  no  doubt  escaped  from  the  ship. 

We  might  now,  therefore,  constitute  ourselves  a  little 
colony,   of  which  Mrs    Reichardt  and   myself  were  the 


232  The  Little  Savage 

immediate  governors,  the  settlers  being  a  mingled  com- 
munity of  calves,  sheep,  pigs,  and  poultry,  that  lived 
on  excellent  terms  with  each  other;  the  quadrupeds 
having  permission  to  roam  where  they  pleased,  and  the 
bipeds  being  kept  within  a  certain  distance  of  the  govern- 
ment house. 

The  old  hut  had  suiFered  so  much  from  the  storm  that 
I  determined  on  building  another  in  a  better  position, 
and  had  recourse  to  the  framework  of  the  house  I  had 
taken  from  the  wreck.  I  had  some  difficulty  in  putting 
the  several  parts  together,  but  at  last  succeeded,  and  a 
small,  but  most  commodious  dwelling  was  the  result. 
Near  it  I  laid  out  a  new  garden,  wherein  I  planted  all 
the  orange-trees  we  had  reared,  as  well  as  many  of  the 
seeds  and  roots  we  had  brought  from  the  wreck.  A 
little  beyond  I  enclosed  a  paddock,  wherein  I  planted 
the  twigs  we  had  found  in  pots,  which  proved  to  be 
fruit  trees. 

"When  I  had  done  this,  I  thought  of  my  agricultural 
implements,  and  very  much  desired  to  make  use  of  a 
handy  plough  that  was  amongst  them,  when  I  learned 
the  advantages  that  might  arise  from  it.  At  first,  I  yoked 
myself  to  the  plough,  and  Mrs  Reichardt  held  it :  this 
proved  such  hard  and  awkward  work  that  I  kept  pro- 
jecting all  sorts  of  plans  for  lessening  the  labour — the 
best  was  that  of  yoking  our  calves,  and  making  them 
pull  instead  of  myself.  This  was  more  easily  thought 
of  than  done.  The  animals  did  not  prove  very  apt  pupils, 
but  in  course  of  time,  with  a  good  deal  of  patience,  and 
some  manoeuvring,  I  succeeded  in  making  them  perform 
the  work  they  were  expected  to  do. 

Thus,  in  building,  gardening,  planting,  and  farming, 
the  time  flew  by  quickly,  and  in  the  course  of  the  next 
year  the  aspect  of  the  place  had  become  quite  changed. 
The  guano  that  enriched  the  soil  made  every  kind  of 
vegetation  thrive  with  an  almost  marvellous  rapidity  and 
luxuriance.  We  had  a  comfortable  house,  up  which  a 
vine  was  creeping  in   one  place,  and  a  young  pear-tree 


The  Little  Savage  2^^ 

in  another.  We  were  supplied  with  the  choicest  oranges, 
and  had  apples  of  several  kinds.  We  had  abundance  of 
furniture,  and  an  inexhaustible  stock  of  provisions.  We 
had  a  most  gorgeous  show  of  flowers  of  many  different 
species ;  our  new  kitchen  garden  was  full  of  useful 
vegetables — young  fruit  trees  were  yielding  their  produce 
wherever  they  had  been  planted — the  poultry  had  more 
than  doubled  their  number — the  calves  were  taking  upon 
themselves  the  full  dignity  of  the  state  of  cow  and  bull — 
the  ewes  had  numerous  lambs — and  the  pigs  had  not 
only  grown  into  excellent  pork,  but  had  already  produced 
more  than  one  litter  that  would  be  found  equally  desirable 
when  provisions  ran  scarce.  We  had  two  growing  crops, 
of  different  kinds  of  grain,  and  a  large  pasture-field  fenced 
round. 

The  Little  Savage,  at  seventeen,  had  been  transformed 
into  a  farmer,  and  the  cultivation  of  the  farm  and  the 
care  of  the  live  stock  soon  left  him  no  time  for  indulging 
in  vain  longings  to  leave  the  island,  or  useless  regrets 
for  the  fair  creature  who,  even  in  death,  I  had  regarded 
as  its  greatest  ornament. 

Two  years  later,  still  greater  improvements,  and  still 
greater  additions  became  visible.  We  were  establishing 
a  dairy  farm  on  a  small  scale,  and  as  our  herds  and  flocks, 
as  well  as  the  pigs  and  poultry,  increased  rapidly,  we 
promised  in  a  few  years  to  be  the  most  thriving  farmers 
that  had  ever  lived  in  that  part  of  the  world  by  the 
cultivation  of  the  land. 


Chapter  XLIV 

Although  my  first  experimental  voyage  had  proved  so 
hazardous,  now  that  I  was  better  provided  for  meeting  its 
perils,  I  became  anxious  to  make  another  attempt  to 
circumnavigate  the  island.  The  boat  that  had  belonged  to 
the  wrecked  ship,  from  the  frequent  trips  I  had  made  in 


234  The  Little  Savage 

her  to  and  from  the  shore,  I  could  manage  as  well  as  if  I 
had  been  rowing  boats  all  my  life. 

With  the  assistance  of  Mrs  Reichardt,  who  pulled  an 
oar  almost  as  well  as  myself,  we  could  get  her  along  in 
very  good  styJe,  even  when  heavily  laden,  and  our  labours 
together  had  taken  from  her  all  that  timidity  which  had 
deterred  her  from  trusting  herself  with  me,  when  I  first 
ventured  from  the  island. 

I  was,  however,  very  differently  circumstanced  now,  to 
what  I  was  then.  Instead  of  a  frail  cockle-shell,  that 
threatened  to  be  capsized  by  every  billow  that  approached 
it,  and  that  would  scarcely  hold  two  persons  comfortably, 
I  was  master  of  a  well-built  ship's-boat,  that  would  hold 
half  a  dozen  with  ease,  and  except  in  very  rough  weather, 
was  as  safe  as  any  place  ashore. 

I  had  repaired  the  slight  damage  its  timbers  had  received, 
and  had  made  an  awning  to  protect  us  when  rowing  from 
the  heat  of  the  sun  ;  I  had  also  raised  a  sail,  which  would 
relieve  us  of  a  good  deal  of  labour.  When  everything 
was  prepared,  I  urged  Mrs  Reichardt  to  accompany  me  in 
a  voyage  round  the  island  ;  an  excursion  I  hoped  would  turn 
out  equally  pleasant  and  profitable. 

I  found  her  very  averse  to  trusting  herself  farther  from 
shore  than  was  absolutely  necessary.  She  raised  all  kinds 
of  objections — prominent  among  which  were  my  want  of 
seamanship  for  managing  a  boat  in  the  open  sea ;  the 
danger  that  might  arise  from  a  sudden  squall  coming  on ; 
her  fear  of  our  getting  amongst  a  shoal  of  sharks,  and  the 
risk  v/e  ran  of  driving  against  a  projecting  rock  ;  but  I 
overruled  them  all. 

I  showed  her,  by  taking  little  trips  out  to  sea,  that  I 
could  manage  the  boat  either  with  the  sail  or  the  oars,  and 
assured  her  that  by  keeping  close  to  the  island,  we  could 
run  ashore  before  danger  could  reach  us ;  and  that  nothing 
could  be  easier  than  our  keeping  out  of  the  reach  of  both 
rocks  and  sharks. 

I  do  not  think  I  quite  convinced  her  that  her  fears  were 
groundless,  but  my  repeated  entreaties,  the  fineness  of  the 


I 


The  Little  Savage  235 

weather,  and  her  dislike  to  be  again  left  on  the  island, 
whilst  I  was  risking  my  life  at  sea,  prevailed,  and  she 
promised  to  join  me  in  this  second  experiment. 

Her  forethought,  however,  was  here  as  fully  demon- 
strated as  on  other  occasions,  for  she  did  not  suffer  the 
boat  to  leave  the  shore  till  she  had  provided  for  any 
accident  that  might  prevent  our  return  in  the  anticipated 
time. 

A  finer  day  for  such  a  voyage  we  could  not  have 
selected.  The  sky  was  without  a  cloud,  and  there  was 
just  wind  enough  for  the  purpose  I  wanted,  without 
any  apprehensions  of  this  being  increased.  I  got  up  the 
awning,  and  spread  the  sail,  and  handing  Mrs  Reichardt  to 
her  appointed  seat,  we  bid  farewell  to  our  four-footed  and 
two-footed  friends  ashore,  that  were  gazing  at  us  as  if 
they  knew  they  were  parting  from  their  only  protectors. 
I  then  pushed  the  boat  off,  the  wind  caught  the  sail,  and 
she  glided  rapidly  through  the  deep  water. 

I  let  her  proceed  in  this  way  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  the  island,  and  then  tacked  ;  the  boat,  obedient  to 
the  position  of  the  sail,  altered  her  course,  and  we 
proceeded  at  about  the  same  rate  for  a  considerable 
distance. 

Mrs  Reichardt,  notwithstanding  her  previous  fears, 
could  not  help  feeling  the  exhilarating  effect  of  this 
adventurous  voyage.  We  were  floating,  safely  and  grace- 
fully, upon  the  billows,  with  nothing  but  sea  and  sky  in 
every  direction  but  one,  where  the  rugged  shores  of  our 
island  home  gave  a  bold,  yet  menacing  feature  to  the 
view. 

My  heart  seemed  to  expand  with  the  majestic  prospect 
before  me.  Never  had  mariner,  when  discovering  some 
prodigious  continent,  felt  a  greater  degree  of  exultation 
than  I  experienced,  when  directing  my  little  vessel  over 
the  immense  wilderness  of  waters  that  spread  out  before 
me,  till  it  joined  the  line  of  the  horizon. 

I  sat  down  by  the  side  of  Mrs  Reichardt,  and  allowed 
the  boat  to  proceed  on  its  course,  either  as  if  it  required 


236  The  Little  Savage 

no  directing  hand,  or  that  its  present  direction  was  so 
agreeable,  I  felt  no  inclination  to  alter  it. 

"  I  can  easily  imagine,"  said  I,  "  the  enthusiasm  of  such 
men  as  Columbus,  whose  discovery  of  America  you  were 
relating  to  me  the  other  day.  The  vocation  of  these 
early  navigators  was  a  glorious  one,  and,  when  they  had 
tracked  their  way  over  so  many  thousand  miles  of  pathless 
water,  and  found  themselves  in  strange  seas,  expecting  the 
appearance  of  land,  hitherto  unknown  to  the  civilised 
world,  they  must  have  felt  the  importance  of  their  mission 
as  discoverers." 

"  No  doubt,  Frank,"  she  replied.  "  And  probably  it 
was  this  that  supported  the  great  man  you  have  just 
named,  in  the  severe  trials  he  was  obliged  to  endure,  on 
the  very  eve  of  the  discovery  that  was  to  render  his  name 
famous  to  all  generations.  He  had  endured  intolerable 
hardships,  the  ship  had  been  so  long  without  sight  of  land, 
that  no  one  thought  it  worth  while  to  look  out  for  it,  and 
he  expected  that  his  crew  would  mutiny,  and  insist  on 
returning.  At  this  critical  period  of  his  existence,  first 
one  indication  of  land,  and  then  another  made  itself 
manifest ;  the  curiosity  of  the  disheartened  sailors  became 
excited ,  hope  revived  in  the  breast  of  their  immortal 
captain ;  a  man  was  now  induced  to  ascend  the  main-top, 
and  his  joyful  cry  of  land  woke  up  the  slumbering  spirit 
of  the  crew.  In  this  way,  a  new  world  was  first  presented 
to  the  attention  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  old." 

"  It  appears  to  me  very  unjust,"  I  observed,  "  that  so 
important  a  discovery  should  have  become  known  to  us, 
not  by  the  name  of  its  original  discoverer,  but  by  that  of  a 
subsequent  visitor  to  its  shores." 

"  Undoubtedly,"  said  Mrs  Reichardt,  "  it  is  apparently 
unfair  that  Americus  Vespucius  should  obtain  an  honour 
which  Christopher  Columbus  alone  had  deserved.  But  of 
the  fame  which  is  the  natural  right  of  him  whose  courage 
and  enterprise  procured  this  unrivalled  acquisition,  no  one 
can  deprive  him.  His  gigantic  discovery  may  always  be 
known   as    America,    but    the    world    acknowledges    its 


The  Little  Savage  237 

obligation  to  Columbus,  and  knows  little  beyond  the  name 
of  his  rival." 

"Were  the  immediate  results  of  so  large  an  addition 
to  geographical  knowledge,  as  beneficial  to  the  entire 
human  race  as  they  ought  to  have  been  ? " 

"  I  do  not  think  they  were.  The  vast  continent  then 
thrown  open  to  the  advance  of  civilisation,  may  be  divided 
into  two  portions,  the  south  and  the  north.  The  former 
was  inhabited  by  a  harmless  effeminate  race,  who  enjoyed 
many  of  the  refinements  of  civilisation ;  their  knowledge 
of  the  arts,  for  instance,  as  shewn  to  us  in  the  ruins  of 
their  cities,  was  considerable ;  they  possessed  extensive 
buildings  in  a  bold  and  ornate  style  of  architecture  ;  they 
made  a  lavish  use  of  the  precious  metals,  of  which  the 
land  was  extremely  rich,  and  they  wore  dresses  which 
shewed  a  certain  perfection  in  the  manufacture  of  textile 
fabrics,  and  no  slight  degree  of  taste  and  art  in  their 
formation. 

"  The  Spaniards,  who  were  led  to  this  part  of  the 
continent  by  a  desire  to  enrich  themselves  with  the  gold 
which  the  earliest  discoverers  had  found  in  the  new 
country  in  considerable  quantities,  invaded  the  territories 
of  this  peaceful  people,  and,  by  their  superior  knowledge 
of  warlike  weapons,  and  the  ignorance  of  the  intentions 
of  their  invaders  that  prevailed  amongst  the  natives  of  all 
ranks,  by  a  series  of  massacres,  they  were  enabled,  though 
comparatively  but  a  small  force,  to  obtain  possession  of 
the  vast  empire  that  had  been  established  there  from  time 
immemorial,  and  turn  it  into  a  Spanish  colony. 

**  The  blood  of  this  harmless  race  flowed  like  water  ; 
their  great  Incas  or  Emperors  were  deposed  and  murdered, 
their  splendid  temples  plundered  of  their  riches,  their 
nobles  and  priests  tortured  to  make  them  change  their 
faith,  and  the  great  mass  of  the  people  became  slaves  to 
their  more  warlike  conquerors.  It  was  in  this  way  the 
gold  of  Mexico  and  Peru  enriched  the  treasury  of  Spain  ; 
but  every  ingot  had  the  curse  of  blood  upon  it,  and  from 
that  time  the  Spanish  power,  then  at  its  height,  began  to 


238  The  Little  Savage 

decline  in  Europe,  till  it  sunk  in  the  scale  of  nations 'among 
the  least  important.  The  colonies  revolted  from  the 
mother  country,  and  became  independent  states  ;  but  the 
curse  that  followed  the  infamous  appropriation  of  the 
country,  seems  to  cling  to  the  descendants  of  the  first 
criminals,  and  neither  government  nor  people  prospers  ; 
and  it  is  evident  that  all  these  independent  states  must 
in  time  be  absorbed  by  a  great  republic,  that  has  sprung 
up  by  peaceable  means,  as  it  were  at  their  side,  whilst 
they  were  content  to  be  colonies." 

"  To  what  republic  do  you  allude  ^  " 

**  You  may  remember  that  I  told  you  that  the  entire 
continent  was  divided  into  south  and  north." 

''  Exactly." 

"  The  history  of  the  southern  portion  I  have  rapidly 
sketched  for  you,  that  of  the  northern  you  will  find  of 
a  totally  different  character." 

"  Pray  let  me  hear  it." 

"  Vv^hen  North  America  was  first  discovered,  it  was 
found  to  be  inhabited  by  a  race  of  savages,  divided  into 
several  tribes.  They  had  no  manufactures  ;  they  had  no 
knowledge  of  art  or  science  ;  they  lived  in  the  impene- 
trable woods  in  huts,  having  no  pretension  to  architecture ; 
they  went  almost  entirely  naked,  were  extremely  warlike, 
and  fond  of  hunting,  and  were  known  to  devour  the 
enemies  they  killed  in  battle. 

"  To  this  barbarous  race  came  a  few  adventurous  men 
across  the  stormy  Atlantic,  from  the  distant  island  of 
England " 

"  Ah,  England  !  "  I  exclaimed,  "  that  is  the  country  of 
my  parents — that  is  the  home  of  my  grandfather  ;  let  me 
hear  anything  you  have  to  say  about  England." 

Mrs  Reichardt  smiled  at  my  animation,  but  proceeded 
without  making  any  comment  upon  what  I  had  said. 

"  England  possessed  at  this  period  many  adventurous 
spirits,  who  were  ready  to  dare  every  danger  to  obtain 
for  their  country  a  share  in  the  honours  which  other  lands 
had  assumed  through  the  enterprise  of  their  navigators. 


The  Little  Savage  239 

By  such  men  different  portions  of  the  northern  continent 
of  America  were  discovered  ;  the  fame  of  these  new  lands, 
their  wonderful  productiveness  and  admirable  climate, 
soon  spread  amongst  their  countrymen,  and  from  time  to 
time  various  ships  left  the  EngHsh  ports  with  small  bands 
of  adventurers,  who  made  what  were  termed  settlements 
in  the  country  of  these  savages — not  by  mercilessly 
massacring  them  as  the  Spaniards  had  done  in  the  south, 
and  then  plundering  them  of  all  they  possessed,  but  by 
purchasing  certain  districts  or  pieces  of  land  from  the 
original  occupants,  which  they  peacefully  cultivated  •,  as 
their  numbers  increased,  they  multiplied  their  habitations, 
and  obtained  by  barter  of  the  savages  fresh  accessions  of 
territory." 

"  The  English  showed  themselves  a  much  more  humane 
people  than  the  Spaniards,"  I  observed.  *'  But  did  they 
never  come  into  collision  with  the  wild  natives  of  the 
country  ? " 

''Frequently,"  Mrs  Reichardt  replied,  "but  in  some 
measure  this  was  unavoidable.  As  new  settlers  from 
England  landed  in  the  country,  they  required  more  land  5 
but  the  savages  were  now  not  inclined  to  barter;  they 
had  become  jealous  of  the  strangers,  and  were  desirous 
of  driving  them  back  to  their  ships  before  they  became 
too  numerous.  Acts  of  hostility  were  committed  by  the 
savages  upon  the  settlers,  which  were  often  marked  by 
great  brutality :  this  exasperated  the  latter,  who  joined  in 
a  warlike  association,  and  notwithstanding  their  numbers 
and  daring,  drove  them  further  and  further  from  their 
neighbourhood,  till  either  by  conquest,  treaties,  or 
purchase,  the  Englishmen  or  their  descendants  obtained 
the  greater  portion  of  North  America." 

"Do  they  still  hold  possession  of  it .?"  I  asked. 

"  Up  to  a  recent  date,  the  whole  of  this  vast  acquisition 
was  a  colony  in  obedience  to  the  government  of  England  ; 
but  a  dispute  having  arisen  between  the  mother  country 
and  the  colony,  a  struggle  took  place,  which  ended  in  the 
latter  throwing  off  all  subjection  to  the  laws  of  England. 


240  The  Little  Savage 

The  extensive  provinces  joined  together  in  a  union  of 
equal  privileges  and  powers,  which  has  since  gone  by  the 
name  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States  of  North 
America.  This  is  the  great  republic  to  which  I  just  now 
alluded,  that  is  gradually  absorbing  the  minor  Southern 
States  into  its  union,  and  threatens  at  no  very  distant  date 
to  spread  the  English  language  and  the  English  race  over 
the  whole  continent  of  America." 

**Has  England  then  completely  lost  the  country  she 
colonised  ? "  I  inquired,  feeling  more  and  more  interested 
in  the  subject. 

"  No,  a  great  portion  still  remains  in  her  possession," 
she  replied.  "  The  people  preserved  their  allegiance  when 
their  neighbours  thought  proper  to  rise  in  revolt,  and  are 
now  in  a  state  of  great  prosperity,  governed  by  the  laws 
of  England,  and  supported  by  her  power.  The  English 
possessions  in  North  America  form  an  extensive  district. 
It  is,  however,  but  an  inconsiderable  fraction  of  the  vast 
countries  still  remaining  under  the  dominion  of  England. 
Her  territories  lie  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe ;  indeed 
the  sun  never  sets  upon  this  immense  empire — an  empire 
with  which  the  conquests  of  Alexander,  and  of  Caesar,  or 
the  most  formidable  state  that  existed  in  ancient  times, 
cannot  for  a  moment  be  compared ;  and  when  we  bear  in 
mind  that  in  all  these  various  climates,  and  in  all  these  far- 
distant  shores,  the  flag  of  our  country  affords  the  same 
protection  to  the  colonist  as  he  would  enjoy  in  his  own 
land,  we  may  entertain  some  idea  of  the  vast  power  that 
government  possesses  which  can  make  itself  respected  at 
so  many  opposite  points  from  the  source  whence  it 
emanates." 

I  was  so  much  interested  in  this  description,  that  I  had 
neglected  to  notice  the  rate  at  which  the  boat  was  driving 
through  the  water.  I  now  rose  with  great  alacrity  to  shift 
the  sail,  as  we  had  got  several  miles  from  the  island,  and 
if  I  did  not  take  care  we  might  be  blown  out  of  sight  of 
land.  I  lost  no  time  in  putting  her  on  another  tack,  but 
we  had  not  proceeded  far  in  this  direction  when  I  found 


The  Little  Savage  241 

the  wind  lull,  and  presently  the  sail  drooped  to  the  mast, 
and  there  was  a  dead  calm. 

It  became  necessary  now  to  take  to  our  oars,  and  we 
were  presently  pulling  with  all  our  strength  in  the  direction 
of  land.  This  went  on  for  some  time  till  we  were  both 
tired,  and  I  was  surprised  at  the  little  progress  we  had 
made.  "We  lay  on  our  oars  and  took  some  refreshment, 
and  then  pulled  with  additional  vigour ;  but  I  began  to 
suspect  that  we  were  receding  from  the  land  instead  of 
approaching  it,  and  called  Mrs  Reichardt's  attention  to  the 
fact  of  the  island  diminishing  in  size  notwithstanding  the 
length  of  time  we  had  been  pulling  towards  it. 

"  Ah,  Frank,"  she  said,  in  a  melancholy  tone  of  voice, 
'*  I  have  for  some  time  entertained  suspicions  that  all  our 
strength  was  being  expended  in  vain.  It  is  very  clear  that 
we  have  got  into  a  current  that  is  every  moment  taking  us 
farther  out  to  sea,  and  if  a  breeze  does  not  soon  spring  up, 
we  shall  lose  sight  of  the  island,  and  then,  heaven  only 
knows  what  will  become  of  us." 

I  shook  out  the  sail,  in  hopes  of  its  catching  sufficient 
wind  to  lead  us  out  of  the  current,  but  not  a  breath  of  air 
was  stirring.  We  did  not  possess  such  a  thing  as  a  com- 
pass ;  our  provisions  were  only  calculated  for  a  pleasure  trip 
— we  had  only  one  small  jar  of  water,  and  a  flask  of  spirit, 
a  few  biscuits,  two  large  cakes,  a  chicken,  and  some  dried 
fish.  The  land  was  rapidly  receding ;  I  could  only  mark 
its  position  with  respect  to  the  sun  that  now  was  pouring 
its  burning  rays  upon  our  little  bark.  If  it  had  not  been 
for  the  awning  we  could  not  have  endured  it ;  the  heat 
was  so  oppressive.  We  had  been  obliged  to  give  over 
rowing,  as  much  from  the  fatigue  it  occasioned,  as  from 
the  hopelessness  of  our  labour. 

We  now  sat  with  sinking  hearts  watching  the  fast 
retreating  land.  It  had  become  a  point — it  diminished  to 
a  speck,  and  as  it  disappeared  from  our  anxious  sight,  the 
sun  set  in  all  his  glory,  and  we  were  drifting  at  the  mercy 
of  the  current  we  knew  not  where,  with  nothing  but  sky 
and  sea  all  around  us. 

L.S.  Q 


242  The  Little  Savage 


Chapter  XLV 

Vainly  I  stretched  my  eyes  around  the  illimitable  field  of 
ocean,  in  hope  of  discerning  some  indication  of  that  power 
whose  ships  I  had  been  told  traversed  every  sea;  but 
nothing  like  a  vessel  was  in  sight — the  mighty  waters 
stretched  out  like  an  endless  desert  on  every  side.  There 
was  no  sign  of  man  in  all  this  vast  space,  except  our  little 
boat ;  and  in  comparison  with  this  space,  how  insignificant 
were  the  two  helpless  human  beings  who  sat  silent  and 
m.otionless  in  that  boat  awaiting  their  destiny. 

The  stars  came  out  with  marvellous  brilliancy.  I  fancied 
that  I  had  never  seen  them  appear  so  bright ;  but  probably 
the  gloominess  of  my  thoughts  made  them  look  brighter 
by  contrast.  I  seemed  the  centre  of  a  glorious  system  of 
worlds  revolving  above  me  with  a  calm  and  tranquil 
beauty,  that  appeared  to  reproach  me  for  giving  way  to 
despair  in  a  scene  so  lovely. 

The  great  mass  of  water,  scarcely  moved  by  a  ripple, 
now  appeared  lit  up  with  countless  fires,  and  a  purplish 
haze,  like  a  low  flame,  was  visible  in  every  direction.  I 
directed  the  attention  of  my  companion  to  this  strange 
appearance.  Notwithstanding  the  intensity  of  her  anxiety, 
she  immediately  entered  into  an  explanation  of  the  pheno- 
menon, and  attributed  it  to  a  peculiarly  phosphoric  state 
of  the  sea,  caused  by  myriads  of  creatures  which  possess 
the  quality  of  the  glow-worm,  and  rising  to  the  surface  of 
the  water,  made  the  latter  seem  as  though  enveloped  in 
flame. 

I  sat  a  long  time  watching  the  singular  appearances  that 
presented  themselves  whenever  I  dashed  down  the  oar. 
It  looked  as  though  I  was  beating  fire  instead  of  water, 
and  flame  seemed  to  come  from  the  oar  with  the  drops 
that  fell  from  it  into  the  sea. 

In  this  way  hours  passed  by  :  we  were  still  floating  with 
the  current  j  the  moon  and  stars  were  now  coldly  shining 


The  Little  Savage  243 

over  our  heads ;  the  ocean  around  us  was  still  gleaming 
with  phosphoric  fires,  when  Mrs  Reichardt  advised  me  to 
take  some  nourishment,  and  then  endeavour  to  go  to  sleep, 
saying  she  would  keep  watch  and  apprise  me  if  anything 
happened  of  which  it  might  be  advantageous  to  avail  our- 
selves. 

The  only  thing  I  desired  was  the  appearance  of  a  vessel, 
or  the  setting  in  of  a  breeze,  of  which  at  present  not  a 
sign  existed.  I  felt  disinclined  either  to  eat  or  to  drink : 
but  I  proposed  that  my  companion  should  make  a  meal  and 
then  go  to  sleep,  as  it  was  much  more  proper  that  I  should 
keep  watch  than  herself.  The  fact  was,  we  were  both 
anxious  that  the  other  should  be  the  first  to  diminish  our 
little  stock  of  food  ;  but  as  neither  would  be  induced  to  do 
this,  it  was  decided  that  our  provisions  should  be  divided 
into  certain  portions,  which  were  only  to  be  taken  at 
sunrise  and  sunset,  and  that  we  should  during  the  night 
relieve  each  other  every  three  hours  in  keeping  watch,  that 
if  we  saw  land,  or  a  ship,  or  the  wind  should  spring  up, 
we  might  consult  immediately  as  to  our  course. 

I  only  succeeded  in  inducing  her  to  lie  down  at  the 
bottom  of  the  boat,  to  obtain  a  little  sleep,  previously  to 
her  taking  my  place  that  I  might  so  rest  myself.  She  first 
said  her  usual  prayers  for  the  evening,  in  which  I  joined, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  I  was  glad  to  hear  by  her  regular 
breathing,  that  she  was  obtaining  that  repose  of  which  I 
was  certain  she  stood  greatly  in  need. 

I  was  now  the  sole  observer  of  the  stupendous  spectacle 
that  spread  out  around  and  above  me ;  the  most  sublime 
feature  in  this  imposing  scene  appeared  to  be  the  silence 
which  reigned  supreme  over  all.  The  heavens  were  as 
mute  as  the  sea.  It  looked  as  if  the  earth  had  been 
engulfed  by  a  second  deluge,  and  all  living  nature  had 
perished  utterly  from  the  face  of  it. 

I  felt  a  deep  feeling  of  melancholy  stealing  over  me: 
and  could  not  forbear  reproaching  myself  for  embarking  in 
this  hazardous  enterprise,  and  risking  a  life  that  I  was 
bound  to  preserve.     What  could  become  of  us  both  I  knew 


244  The  Little  Savage 

not — but  I  was  sensible  that  if  we  were  not  speedily  picked 
up,  or  made  some  friendly  shore,  there  existed  but  little 
hopes  of  our  surviving  many  days. 

I  made  up  my  mind  that  the  island  we  should  never  see 
again,  and  though  I  had  been  so  anxious  for  so  many  years 
to  quit  it,  now  that  fate  had  separated  us  for  ever,  I  could 
not  console  myself  for  the  loss  of  a  home  endeared  to  me 
by  so  many  recollections.  But  my  great  grief  was  the  loss 
of  my  grandfather's  diamonds.  He  had  now  no  chance  of 
having  them  restored  to  him.  If  they  were  found  they 
would  become  the  property  of  the  discoverer;  and  he 
would  never  know  how  his  daughter  perished  on  a  rock, 
and  how  his  grandson  was  swallowed  up  by  the  waters  of 
the  great  deep. 

And  then  I  thought  of  that  glorious  England  I  had  so 
long  hoped  to  see,  and  my  heart  sunk  within  me  as  I  gazed 
out  upon  the  boundless  prospect.  There  was  not  a  voice 
to  murmur  consolation,  not  a  hand  to  offer  me  assistance. 
Was  I  never  to  see  those  white  cliffs  which  had  been  so 
often  described  to  me,  that  I  could  call  them  to  mind  as 
clearly  as  if  they  stood  in  all  their  pride  and  beauty  before 
my  eyes  ? 

How  often  had  I  dreamed  of  approaching  the  hallowed 
shores  of  England — how  often  had  I  heard  the  cheerful 
voices  of  her  people  welcoming  the  Little  Savage  to  his 
natural  home — how  often  had  I  been  embraced  by  my  aged 
grandfather,  and  received  into  the  happy  circle  of  his 
friends,  with  the  respect  and  affection  due  to  his  heir.  I 
had  dreamed  happy  dreams,  and  seen  blissful  visions ;  and 
the  result  was  starvation  in  an  open  boat  on  the  illimitable 
ocean. 

Mrs  Reichardt  still  slept,  and  I  would  not  wake  her. 
As  long  as  she  was  insensible  to  the  dangers  of  her  position 
she  must  exist  in  comparative  happiness ;  to  disturb  her 
was  to  bring  her  back  to  a  sense  of  danger  and  misery, 
and  the  recollection  that  my  folly  had  brought  her  to  this 
hopeless  state. 

I  noticed  that  a  small  cloud  was  making  its  appearance 


The  Little  Savage  245 

in  the  horizon,  and  almost  at  the  same  instant  I  observed 
it,  I  felt  a  breeze  that  was  just  sufficient  to  flap  the  sail 
against  the  mast.  In  a  few  minutes  the  cloud  had  greatly 
increased,  and  the  wind  filled  the  sail.  I  fancied  it  blew 
in  a  direction  contrary  to  the  current ;  and  in  the  belief 
that  it  did  so  I  soon  got  the  boat  round,  and  to  my  great 
joy  she  was  presently  scudding  before  the  wind  at  a  rate 
that  was  sensibly  increasing. 

But  the  cloud  presently  began  to  envelop  the  heavens, 
and  a  thick  darkness  spread  itself  like  a  veil  in  every 
direction.  The  wind  blew  very  fresh,  and  strained  the 
mast  to  which  the  sail  had  been  fixed  ;  and  now  I  began 
to  entertain  a  new  fear :  some  sudden  gust  might  take  the 
sail  and  capsize  us,  or  tear  it  from  its  fastenings.  I  would 
gladly  have  taken  in  the  sail,  but  I  considered  it  as  rather 
a  hazardous  experiment.  Mrs  Reichardt  lay  in  a  position 
that  prevented  my  getting  at  it  without  disturbing  her,  or 
running  the  risk  of  tipping  the  boat  over,  when  it  would 
be  sure  to  fill  immediately,  and  sink  with  us  both. 
Though  v/e  could  both  swim,  I  felt  assured  that  if  we 
were  once  in  the  water,  there  would  remain  very  little 
chance  of  our  protracting  our  lives  beyond  a  few  hours. 

The  boat,  therefore,  continued  to  run  before  the  wind 
at  a  rapid  rate,  the  slight  mast  creaking,  and  the  sail 
stretching  so  tight,  I  expected  every  minute  that  we 
should  be  upset.  At  this  moment  Mrs  Reichardt  awoke, 
and  her  quick  eye  immediately  took  in  the  full  extent  of 
her  danger. 

**  We  shall  be  lost,"  she  said  hurriedly,  "if  we  do  not 
take  in  that  sail !  " 

I  was  fully  aware  of  this,  but  she  had  seen  more  of  a 
sailor's  perils  than  I  had,  and  knew  better  how  to  meet 
them.  She  offered  to  assist  me  in  taking  in  the  sail,  and 
directing  me  to  be  very  careful,  we  proceeded,  with 
the  assistance  of  the  awning,  to  the  mast,  and  after  a  good 
deal  of  labour,  and  at  some  risk  of  being  blown  into  the 
sea,  we  succeeded  in  furling  the  sail,  and  unshipping  the 
mast. 


246 


The  Little  Savage 


We  were  now  in  quite  as  much  danger  from  another 
cause — the  surface  of  the  sea,  which  had  been  so  smooth 
during  the  calm,  was  now  so  violently  agitated  by  the 
wind,  that  the  boat  kept  ascending  one  great  billow  only 
to  descend  into  the  trough  of  another.  We  often  went 
down  almost  perpendicularly,  and  the  height  seemed  every 
moment  increasing  ;  and  every  time  we  went  thus  plunging 
headlong  into  the  boiling  waters,  I  thought  we  should  be 
engulfed  never  to  rise ;  nevertheless,  the  next  minute, 
up  we  ascended  on  the  crest  of  some  more  fearful  wave 
than  any  we  had  hitherto  encountered,  and  down  again  we 
plunged  in  the  dark  unfathomable  abyss  that,  walled  in 
by  foaming  mountains  of  water,  appeared  yawning  to  close 
over  us  for  ever. 

It  was  almost  entirely  dark ;  we  could  see  only  the 
white  foam  of  the  wave  over  which  we  were  about  to 
pass ;  save  this,  it  was  black  below  and  black  above,  and 
impenetrable  darkness  all  around. 

Mrs  Reichardt  sat  close  to  me  with  her  hand  in  mine — 
she  uttered  no  exclamations  of  feminine  terror — she  was 
more  awe-struck  than  frightened.  I  believe  that  she  was 
fully  satisfied  her  last  hour  had  come,  for  I  could  hear  her 
murmuring  a  prayer  in  which  she  commended  her  soul  to 
her  Creator. 

I  cannot  say  that  I  was  in  any  great  degree  alarmed — 
the  rapid  up  and  down  motion  of  the  boat  gave  me  a 
sensation  of  pleasure  I  had  never  before  experienced.  To 
say  the  truth,  I  should  have  greatly  enjoyed  being  thus  at 
the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  waves,  in  the  midst  of  a  black 
and  stormy  night  on  the  trackless  ocean,  had  it  not  been 
for  my  constant  thoughts  of  my  companion,  and  my  bitter 
self-reproaches  for  having  led  her  into  so  terrible  a  danger. 

I  was  now,  however,  called  from  these  reflections,  by 
the  necessity  of  active  employment.  The  boat  I  found 
shipped  water  at  every  plunge,  and  if  speedy  means  were 
not  taken  to  keep  the  water  under,  there  was  little  doubt 
that  she  would  soon  fill  and  go  down.  I  therefore  seized 
the  iron  kettle  we  had  brought  with  us  to  cook  our  dinner^ 


The  Little  Savage  247 

and  began  rapidly  baling  out  the  water,  which  was  already- 
over  our  ankles.  We  continued  to  ship  water,  sometimes 
more  and  sometimes  less ;  and  Mrs  Reichardt,  actuated  no 
doubt  by  the  same  motives  as  myself,  with  a  tin  pan  now 
assisted  me  in  getting  rid  of  the  treacherous  element. 

By  our  united  exertions  we  kept  the  water  under,  and 
hoped  to  be  able  to  get  rid  of  the  whole  of  it.  About  this 
time  it  began  to  rain  very  heavily,  and  although  the 
awning  protected  our  heads,  so  much  fell  into  the  boat, 
that  notwithstanding  our  labours  we  continued  to  sit  in  a 
pool. 

We  were,  however,  glad  to  find  that  as  the  rain  fell  the 
wind  abated,  and  as  the  latter  subsided,  the  sea  became  less 
violent,  and  we  shipped  less  water.  I  was  now  able  by 
my  own  exertions  to  keep  the  boat  tolerably  dry,  and  Mrs 
Reichardt,  ever  provident,  spread  out  all  the  empty  vessels 
she  had  brought  with  her  to  catch  the  rain,  for  as  she  said, 
we  did  not  know  how  valuable  that  water  might  become 
in  a  short  time. 

The  rain  continued  to  pour  down  in  a  perfect  torrent 
for  several  hours  ;  at  the  end  of  which  the  sky  gradually 
cleared.  The  sea,  though  still  rough,  presented  none  of 
those  mountainous  waves  that  a  short  time  before  had 
threatened  to  annihilate  us  at  every  descent,  and  there  was 
just  sufficient  breeze  to  waft  us  along  at  a  brisk  rate  with 
the  assistance  of  our  sail. 

Mrs  Reichardt  helped  me  in  putting  up  the  mast,  and 
directly  we  began  to  feel  the  breeze,  she  insisted  on  my 
taking  some  refreshment.  It  was  vitally  necessary  to  both, 
for  our  labours  had  been  heavy  for  several  hours.  We 
therefore  ate  sparingly  of  our  provisions,  and  washed  down 
our  meal  with  a  pannikin  of  water  mingled  with  a  little 
spirit. 


248  The  Little  Savage 

Chapter  XLVI 

The  morning  dawned  upon  a  boundless  expanse  of  sea. 
The  first  object  that  presented  itself  to  my  sight  was  an 
enormous  whale  spouting  water  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
distant  from  me  ;  then  I  observed  another,  then  a  third, 
and  subsequently,  several  more ;  they  presented  a  singular 
and  picturesque  appearance,  as  one  or  other  of  these  vast 
animals  was  continually  throwing  up  a  column  of  water 
that  caught  the  rays  of  the  sun,  and  looked  very  beautiful 
in  the  distance. 

I  looked  in  vain  for  land ;  I  looked  equally  in  vain  for  a 
ship ;  there  was  nothing  visible  but  this  shoal  of  whales, 
and  Mrs  Reichardt  endeavoured  to  cheer  me  by  describing 
the  importance  of  the  whale  fishery  to  England,  and  the 
perils  which  the  men  meet  with  who  pursue  the  fish  for  the 
purpose  of  wounding  them  with  an  iron  instrument  called 
a  harpoon. 

I  felt  much  interest  in  these  details ;  and  my  companion 
went  into  the  whole  history  of  a  whaling  expedition, 
describing  the  first  discovery  of  the  huge  fish  from  the 
ship  ;  the  pursuit  in  the  boats,  and  the  harpooning  of  the 
whale ;  its  struggles  after  having  been  wounded ;  its 
being  towed  to  the  ship's  side,  the  subsequent  manufacture 
of  oil  from  the  blubber  of  the  animal,  and  the  preparation 
of  whalebone. 

In  attending  to  this  discourse,  I  completely  forgot  that 
I  was  being  tossed  about  in  the  open  sea,  I  knew  not 
where ;  and  where  I  might  be  in  a  short  time  it  would  be 
proved  I  was  equally  ignorant :  perhaps  I  should  be  a 
corpse  floating  on  the  surface  of  the  ocean  waiting  for  a 
tomb  till  a  shark  came  that  way ;  perhaps  I  should  be 
suffering  the  torments  of  hunger  and  thirst ;  perhaps  cast 
lifeless  upon  a  rock,  where  my  bleached  bones  would 
remain  the  only  monument  which  would  then  declare  that 
there  once  existed  in  these  latitudes  such  a  being  as  the 
Little  Savage. 


The  Little  Savage  249 

Where  now  could  be  the  island  I,  though  long  so 
anxious  to  quit,  now  was  a  thousand  times  more  desirous 
of  beholding  ?  I  felt  that  nothing  could  be  more  agree- 
able to  me  than  a  glimpse  of  that  wild  rocky  coast  that 
had  so  often  appeared  to  me  the  walls  of  an  intolerable 
prison. 

I  strained  my  eyes  in  vain  in  every  direction ;  the  line 
of  the  horizon  stretched  out  uninterrupted  by  a  single 
break  of  any  kind  all  around.  Where  could  we  be  ?  I 
often  asked  myself ;  but  except  that  we  were  on  the  wide 
ocean,  neither  myself  nor  my  companion  had  the  slightest 
idea  of  our  geographical  position.  We  must  have  been 
blown  a  considerable  distance  during  the  storm :  much 
farther  than  the  current  had  taken  us  from  the  island. 

I  calculated  that  we  must  have  passed  it  by  many  a 
mile  if  we  had  continued  the  same  course ;  but  the  wind 
had  shifted  several  times,  and  it  might  be  that  we  were 
not  so  very  long  a  sail  from  it,  could  we  gain  the  slightest 
knowledge  of  the  direction  in  which  it  was  to  be  found. 
But  this  was  hopeless.  I  felt  assured  that  we  must 
abandon  all  idea  of  seeing  it  again. 

In  the  midst  of  these  painful  reflections,  my  companion 
directed  my  attention  to  an  object  at  a  very  considerable 
distance,  and  intimated  her  impression  that  it  was  a  ship. 
Luckily,  I  had  brought  my  glass  with  me,  and  soon  was 
anxiously  directing  it  to  the  required  point.  It  was  a  ship  : 
but  at  so  great  a  distance  that  it  was  impossible,  as  Mrs 
Reichardt  said,  for  any  person  on  board  to  distinguish  our 
boat.  I  would  have  sailed  in  that  direction,  but  the  wind 
was  contrary :  I  had,  therefore,  no  alternative  but  to  wait 
till  the  ship  should  approach  near  enough  to  make  us  out ; 
and  I  passed  several  hours  of  the  deepest  anxiety  in 
watching  the  course  of  the  distant  vessel. 

She  increased  in  size,  so  that  I  could  observe  that  she 
was  a  large  ship  by  the  unassisted  eye  ;  but  as  we  were 
running  before  the  wind  in  a  totally  different  direction, 
there  seemed  very  little  chance  of  our  communicating, 
unless  she  altered  her  course. 


250  The  Little  Savage 

Mrs  Reichardt  mentioned  that  signals  were  made  by 
vessels  at  a  distance  to  attract  each  other's  attention,  and 
described  the  various  ways  in  which  they  communicated 
the  wishes  of  their  respective  captains.  The  only  signal  I 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  making  was  burning  quantities  of 
wood  on  the  shore  and  pouring  water  on  it  to  make  it 
smoke — this  was  impossible  in  our  boat. 

My  companion  at  last  suggested  that  I  should  tie  a 
table-cloth  to  the  mast ;  its  peculiar  whiteness  might 
attract  attention.  The  sail  was  presently  taken  in,  and 
the  table-cloth  spread  in  its  place  ;  but,  unfortunately,  it 
soon  afterwards  came  on  a  dead  calm — the  breeze  died 
away,  and  the  cloth  hung  in  long  folds  against  the  mast. 

No  notice  whatever  was  taken  of  us.  We  now  took  to 
our  oars  and  pulled  in  the  direction  of  the  ship  ;  but  after 
several  hours'  hard  rowing,  our  strength  had  so  suffered 
from  our  previous  fatigues,  that  we  seemed  to  have  made 
very  little  distance. 

In  a  short  time  the  sun  set,  and  we  watched  the  object 
of  all  our  hopes  with  most  anxious  eyes,  till  night  set  in 
and  hid  her  from  our  sight.  Shortly  afterwards  a  light 
breeze  again  sprung  up  ;  with  renewed  hope  we  gave  our 
sail  to  the  wind,  but  it  bore  us  in  a  contrary  direction,  and 
when  morning  dawned  we  saw  no  more  of  the  ship. 

The  wind  had  now  again  shifted,  and  bore  us  briskly 
along.  But  where  ?  I  had  fallen  asleep  during  the 
preceding  night,  wearied  out  with  labour  and  anxiety,  and 
I  did  not  wake  till  long  after  daybreak.  Mrs  Reichardt 
would  not  disturb  me.  In  sleep  I  was  insensible  to  the 
miseries  and  dangers  of  my  position.  She  could  not  bring 
herself  to  disturb  a  repose  that  was  at  once  so  necessary  to 
mind  and  body  ;  and  I  fell  into  a  sweet  dream  of  a  new 
home  in  that  dear  England  I  had  prayed  so  often  to  see ; 
and  bright  faces  smiled  upon  me,  and  voices  welcomed  me, 
full  of  tenderness  and  affection. 

I  fancied  that  in  one  of  those  faces  I  recognised  my 
mother,  of  whose  love  I  had  so  early  been  deprived,  and 
that  it  was  paler  than  all  the  others,  but  infinitely  more 


The  Little  Savage  251 

tender  and  afFectionate :  then  the  countenance  seemed  to 
grow  paler  and  paler,  till  it  took  upon  itself  the  likeness 
of  the  fair  creature  I  had  buried  in  the  guano,  and  I 
thought  she  embraced  me,  and  her  arms  were  cold  as 
stone,  and  she  pressed  her  lips  to  mine,  and  they  gave  a 
chill  to  my  blood  that  made  me  shake  as  with  an  ague. 

Suddenly  I  beheld  Jackson  with  his  sightless  orbs 
groping  towards  me  with  a  knife  in  his  hand,  muttering 
imprecations,  and  he  caught  hold  of  me,  and  we  had  a 
desperate  struggle,  and  he  plunged  a  long  knife  into  my 
chest,  with  a  loud  laugh  of  derision  and  malice  j  and  as  I 
felt  the  blade  enter  my  flesh,  I  gave  a  start  and  jumped 
up,  and  alarmed  Mrs  Reichardt  by  the  wild  cry  with 
which  I  awoke. 

How  strongly  was  that  dream  impressed  upon  my 
mind ;  and  the  features  of  the  different  persons  who 
figured  in  it — how  distinctly  they  were  brought  before 
me  !  My  poor  mother  was  as  fresh  in  my  recollection  as 
though  I  had  seen  her  but  yesterday,  and  the  sweetness  of 
her  looks  as  she  approached  me — how  I  now  tried  to  recall 
them,  and  feasted  on  their  memory  as  though  it  were  a 
lost  blessing. 

Then  the  nameless  corpse  that  had  been  washed  from 
the  wreck,  how  strange  it  seemed,  that  after  this  lapse  of 
time  she  should  appear  to  me  in  a  dream,  as  though  we 
had  been  long  attached  to  each  other,  and  her  affections 
had  been  through  life  entirely  my  own.  Poor  girl ! 
Perhaps  even  now  some  devoted  lover  mourns  her  loss  ; 
or  hopes  at  no  distant  date  to  be  able  to  join  her  in  the 
new  colony,  to  attain  which  a  cruel  destiny  had  forced  her 
from  his  arms.  Little  does  he  dream  of  her  nameless 
grave  under  the  guano.  Little  does  he  dream  that  the 
only  colony  in  which  he  is  likely  to  join  her  is  that  settle- 
ment in  the  great  desert  of  oblivion,  over  which  Death  has 
remained  governor  from  the  birth  of  the  world. 

But  the  most  unpleasant  part  of  the  vision  was  the 
appearance  of  Jackson  ;  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  I 
could  bring  myself  to  believe  that  I  had  not  beheld  his 


252  The  Little  Savage 

well  known  features — that  I  had  not  been  stabbed  by  him, 
and  that  I  was  not  suffering  from  the  mortal  wound  he 
had  inflicted.  I  however  at  last  shook  off  the  delusion, 
and  to  Mrs  Reichardt's  anxious  inquiries  replied  only  that 
1  had  had  a  disagreeable  dream. 

In  a  short  time  I  began  to  doubt  whether  the  waking 
was  more  pleasant  than  the  dreaming — the  vast  ocean  still 
spread  itself  before  me  like  a  mighty  winding  sheet,  the 
fair  sky,  beautiful  as  it  appeared  in  the  rays  of  the 
morning  sun,  I  could  only  regard  as  a  pall — and  our  little 
bark  was  the  coffin  in  which  two  helpless  human  beings, 
though  still  existing,  were  waiting  interment. 

"  Has  God  abandoned  us  ? "  I  asked  my  companion, 
"  or  has  he  forgotten  that  two  of  his  creatures  are  in  the 
deepest  peril  of  their  lives,  from  which  he  alone  can  save 
them?" 

"  Hush !  Frank  Henniker,"  exclaimed  Mrs  Reichardt 
solemnly  j  **  this  is  impious.  God  never  abandons  those 
who  are  worthy  of  his  protection.  He  will  either  save 
them  at  his  own  appointed  time — or  if  he  think  it  more 
desirable,  will  snatch  them  from  a  scene  where  so  many 
dangers  surround  them,  and  place  them  where  there 
prevails  eternal  tranquillity,  and  everlasting  bliss. 

^^We  should  rather  rejoice,"  she  added,  with  increasing 
seriousness,  "  that  we  are  thought  worthy  of  being  so 
early  taken  from  a  world  in  which  we  have  met  with  so 
many  troubles." 

*'  But  to  die  in  this  way,"  I  observed  gloomily  ;  **  to  be 
left  to  linger  out  days  of  terrible  torture,  without  a  hope 
of  relief — I  cannot  reconcile  myself  to  it." 

"  We  must  die  sooner  or  later,"  she  said,  **  and  there 
are  many  diseases  which  are  fatal  after  protracted  suffering 
of  the  most  agonising  description.  These  we  have  been 
spared.  The  wretch  who  lingers  in  torment,  visited  by 
some  loathsome  disorder,  would  envy  us,  could  he  see  the 
comparatively  easy  manner  in  which  we  are  suffered  to 
leave  existence. 

**  But  I  do  not  myself  see  the  hopelessness  of  our  case," 


The  Little  Savage  253 

she  added.  '*  It  is  not  yet  impossible  that  we  may  be 
picked  up  by  a  ship,  or  discover  some  friendly  shore  whence 
we  might  obtain  a  passage  for  England." 

**  I  see  no  prospect  of  this,"  said  I ;  "  we  are  apparently 
out  of  the  track  of  ships,  and  if  it  should  be  our  chance  to 
discover  one,  the  people  on  board  are  not  likely  to  observe 
us.     I  wish  I  had  never  left  the  island." 

Mrs  Reichardt  never  reproached  me — never  so  much  as 
reminded  me  that  it  was  my  own  fault.  She  merely  added, 
**  It  was  the  will  of  God." 

We  ate  and  drank  our  small  rations — my  companion 
always  blessing  the  meal,  and  offering  a  thanksgiving  for 
being  permitted  to  enjoy  it.  I  noticed  what  was  left. 
We  had  been  extremely  economical,  yet  there  was  barely 
enough  for  another  day.  We  determined  still  further  to 
reduce  the  trifling  portion  we  allowed  ourselves,  that  we 
might  increase  our  chance  of  escape. 


Chapter  XLVII 

Five  days  and  nights  had  we  been  drifting  at  the  mercy  of 
the  winds  and  waves ;  all  our  small  stock  of  food  had  been 
devoured — though  we  had  hoarded  every  crumb,  as  the 
miser  hoards  his  gold.  Even  the  rain  water,  as  well  as  the 
water  we  had  brought  with  us,  we  had  drained  to  the  last 
drop. 

The  weather  continually  alternated  from  a  dead  calm  to 
a  light  breeze  :  the  wind  frequently  shifted,  but  I  had  no 
strength  left  to  attend  to  the  sail — the  boat  was  abandoned 
to  its  own  guidance,  or  rather  to  that  of  the  wind.  When 
becalmed  we  lay  still — when  the  breeze  sprang  up  we 
pursued  our  course  till  the  sail  no  longer  felt  its  influence. 

Five  long  days  and  nights — days  of  intolerable  suffering, 
nights  of  inexpressible  horror.  From  sunrise  to  sunset  I 
strained  my  eyes  along  the  line  of  the  horizon,  but  nothing 
but  sky  and  wave  ever  met  my  gaze.     When  it  became 


254 


The  Little  Savage 


dark,  excited  by  the  deep  anxiety  I  had  endured  throughout 
the  day,  I  could  not  sleep.  I  fancied  I  beheld  through 
the  darkness  monstrous  forms  mocking  and  gibbering,  and 
high  above  them  all  was  reared  the  head  of  the  enormous 
python  I  had  combated  in  the  Happy  Valley.  And  he 
opened  his  tremendous  jaws,  as  though  to  swallow  me, 
and  displayed  fold  upon  fold  of  his  immense  form  as  if  to 
involve  and  crush  the  boat  in  its  mighty  involutions. 

I  was  always  glad  when  the  day  dawned,  or  if  the  night 
happened  to  be  fair  and  starlight ;  for  the  spectres  vanished 
when  the  sun  shone,  and  the  tranquil  beauty  of  the  stars 
calmed  my  soul. 

I  was  famishing  for  want  of  food — but  I  suffered  most 
from  want  of  water,  for  the  heat  during  the  day  was 
tremendous,  and  I  became  so  frantic  from  thirst,  that 
nothing  but  the  exhortations  of  Mrs  Reichardt  would 
have  prevented  me  from  dashing  myself  into  the  sea,  and 
drinking  my  fill  of  the  salt  water  that  looked  so  tempting 
and  refreshing. 

My  companion  sought  to  encourage  me  to  hope,  long 
after  all  hope  had  vanished — then  she  preached  resignation 
to  the  Divine  Will,  and  in  her  own  nature  gave  a  practical 
commentary  on  her  text. 

I  perceived  that  her  voice  was  getting  more  and  more 
faint — and  that  she  was  becoming  hourly  more  feeble. 
She  was  not  able  to  move  from  her  seat,  and  at  last  asked 
me  to  assist  her  to  lie  down  at  the  bottom  of  the  boat. 
Then  I  noticed  that  she  prayed  fervently,  and  I  could 
often  distinguish  my  name  in  these  petitions  to  the  throne 
of  Grace. 

I  felt  a  strange  sensation  in  my  head,  and  my  tongue 
became  in  my  mouth  as  a  dry  stick — from  this  I  was 
relieved  by  chewing  the  sleeve  of  my  shirt ;  but  my  head 
grew  worse.  My  eyes  too  were  affected  in  a  strange 
manner.  I  continually  fancied  that  I  saw  ships  sailing 
about  at  a  little  distance  from  me,  and  I  strove  to  attract 
their  attention  by  calling  to  them.  My  voice  was  weak 
and  I  could  create  only  a  kind  of  half  stifled  cry.     Then 


The  Little  Savage  255 

I  thought  I  beheld  land :  fair  forests  and  green  pastures 
spread  before  me — bright  flowers  and  refreshing  fruits 
grew  all  around — and  I  called  to  my  companion  to  make 
haste  for  we  were  running  ashore  and  should  presently  be 
puUing  the  clustering  grapes  and  should  lay  ourselves 
down  among  the  odorous  flowers. 

Mrs  Reichardt  opened  her  eyes  and  gazed  at  me  with 
a  more  painful  interest.  She  knew  I  was  haunted  by  the 
chimeras  created  by  famine  and  thirst ;  but  she  seemed 
to  have  lost  all  power  of  speech.  She  motioned  me  to 
join  her  in  prayer ;  I,  however,  was  too  much  occupied 
with  the  prospect  of  landing,  and  paid  no  attention  to 
her  signs. 

Presently  the  bright  landscape  faded  away,  and  I  beheld 
nothing  but  the  wide  expanse  of  water,  the  circle  of 
which  appeared  to  expand  and  spread  into  the  sky,  and 
the  sky  seemed  lost  and  broken  up  in  the  water,  and  for 
a  few  minutes  they  were  mixed  together  in  the  wildest 
and  strangest  confusion.  Subsequently  to  this  I  must 
have  dropt  asleep,  for  after  a  while  I  found  myself 
huddled  up  in  a  corner  of  the  boat,  and  must  have  fallen 
there  from  my  seat.  I  stared  about  me  for  some  time, 
unconscious  where  I  was.  The  bright  sun  still  shone 
over  my  head ;  the  everlasting  sea  still  rolled  beneath  my 
feet. 

I  looked  to  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  and  met  the  up- 
turned gaze  of  my  fellow  voyager — the  pale  face  had 
grown  paler,  and  the  expression  of  the  painful  eye  had 
become  less  intelligent.  I  thought  she  was  as  I  had 
seen  her  in  my  dream,  when  she  changed  from  her  own 
likeness  to  that  of  the  poor  drowned  girl  we  buried  in  the 
guano. 

I  turned  away  my  gaze — the  sight  was  too  painful  to 
look  upon.  I  felt  assured  that  she  was  dying,  and  that 
in  a  very  short  space  of  time,  that  faithful  and  affectionate 
nature  I  must  part  from  forever. 

I  thought  I  would  make  a  last  effort.  Though  faint 
and   trembling,  burning    with   fever,   and  feeling  deadly 


256  The  Little  Savage 

sick,  I  managed  by  the  support  of  the  awning  to  crawl 
to  the  mast,  and  embracing  it  with  one  arm  I  raised  the 
glass  with  the  other  hand,  and  looked  carefully  about. 
My  hand  was  very  unsteady  and  my  eyes  seemed  dim. 
I  could  discern  nothing  but  water. 

I  should  have  sunk  in  despair  to  the  bottom  of  the 
boat,  had  I  not  been  attracted  at  the  moment  by  a  singular 
appearance  in  the  sky.  A  cloud  was  approaching  of  a 
shape  and  appearance  I  had  never  observed  before.  I 
raised  the  glass  again,  and  after  observing  this  cloud  for 
some  time  with  great  attention,  I  felt  assured  that  what 
I  considered  to  be  long  lines  of  vapour  was  an  immense 
flock  of  birds. 

This  discovery  interested  me — I  forgot  the  intensity  of 
my  sufferings  in  observing  the  motions  of  this  apparently 
endless  flock.  As  the  first  file  approached,  I  looked  again, 
to  see  if  I  could  make  out  what  they  were.  God  of 
heaven  !     They  were  gannets. 

I  crawled  back  to  my  companion  as  rapidly  as  my  feeble 
limbs  would  allow,  to  inform  her  of  the  discovery  I  had 
made.  Alas  !  I  found  that  I  was  unheeded.  I  could  not 
believe  that  her  fine  spirit  had  fled ;  no,  she  moved  her 
hand ;  but  the  dull  spiritless  gaze  seemed  to  warn  me 
that  her  dissolution  was  fast  approaching.  I  looked  for 
the  spirit  flask,  and  found  a  few  drops  were  still  left 
there ;  I  poured  these  into  her  mouth,  and  watched  the 
result  with  the  deepest  anxiety  I  had  ever  known  since 
the  day  of  my  birth. 

In  a  few  minutes  I  found  that  she  breathed  more 
regularly  and  distinctly — presently  her  eyes  lost  that 
fixedness  which  had  made  them  so  painful  to  look  upon. 
Then  she  recognised  me,  and  took  hold  of  my  hand, 
regarding  me  with  the  sweet  smile  with  which  I  was  so 
familiar. 

As  soon  as  I  found  that  consciousness  had  returned,  I 
told  her  of  the  great  flock  of  gannets  that  were  evidently 
wending  their  way  to  their  customary  resting  place,  and 
the  hope  I  entertained  that  if  they  could  be  kept  in  sight, 


The  Little  Savage  257 

and  the  wind  remained  in  the  same  quarter,  the  boat 
might  be  led  by  them  to  the  place  where  they  laid  their 
eggs. 

She  listened  to  me  with  attention,  and  evidently  under- 
stood what  I  said.  Her  lips  moved,  and  I  thought  she 
was  returning  thanks  to  God — accepting  the  flight  of  the 
birds  as  a  manifest  proof  that  he  was  still  watching  over 
us.  In  a  few  minutes  she  seemed  so  much  better  that 
she  could  sit  up.  I  noticed  her  for  some  time  watching 
the  gannets  that  now  approached  in  one  vast  cloud  that 
threatened  to  shut  us  out  from  the  sky — she  then  turned 
her  gaze  in  an  opposite  direction,  and  with  a  smile  of 
exultation  that  lit  up  her  wan  face  as  with  a  glory, 
stretched  her  arm  out,  pointing  her  hand  to  a  distant 
portion  of  the  sea.  My  gaze  quickly  followed  hers,  and 
I  fancied  I  discovered  a  break  in  the  line  of  the  horizon ; 
but  it  did  not  look  like  a  ship.  I  pointed  the  glass  in  that 
direction,  and  felt  the  joyful  assurance  that  we  were 
within  sight  of  land. 

This  additional  discovery  gave  me  increased  strength  : 
or  rather  hope  now  dawning  upon  us,  gave  me  an  impulse 
I  had  not  felt  before.  I  in  my  turn  became  the  consoler. 
I  encouraged  Mrs  Reichardt,  with  all  the  arguments  of 
which  I  was  master,  to  think  that  we  should  soon  be  in 
safety.  She  smiled,  and  something  like  animation  again 
appeared  in  her  pale  features. 

If  I  could  save  her,  I  felt  I  should  be  blessed  beyond 
measure.  Such  an  object  was  worth  striving  for ;  and 
I  did  strive.  I  know  not  how  it  was  that  I  gained 
strength  to  do  what  I  did  on  that  day;  but  I  felt  that 
I  was  supported  from  On  High,  and  as  the  speck  of  land 
that  she  had  first  discovered  gradually  enlarged  itself  as 
we  approached  it,  my  exertions  to  secure  a  speedy  rescue 
for  my  companion  from  the  jaws  of  death,  continued  to 
increase. 

The  breeze  remained  fair  and  we  scudded  along  at  a 
spanking  rate,  the  gannets  keeping  us  company  all  the 
way — evidently  bound  to  the  same  shore.     I  kept  talking 

L.S.  R 


258 


The  Little  Savage 


to  Mrs  Reichardt,  and  endeavouring  to  raise  her  spirits 
with  the  most  cheering  description  of  what  we  should 
do  when  we  got  ashore,  for  God  would  be  sure  to  direct 
us  to  some  place  where  we  might  without  difficulty- 
recover  our  strength. 

Hitherto  she  had  not  spoken,  but  as  soon  as  we  began 
to  distinguish  the  features  of  the  shore  we  were  approach- 
ing she  unclosed  her  lips,  and  again  the  same  triumphant 
smile  played  around  them. 

"  Frank  Henniker,  do  you  know  that  rock  ? " 

"  No  ! — yes  ! — can  it  be  possible  ?  O  what  a  gracious 
Providence  has  been  watching  over  us  !  " 

It  was  a  rock  of  a  remarkable  shape  that  stood  a  short 
distance  from  the  fishing-pool.  It  could  not  be  otherwise, 
the  gannets  had  led  us  to  their  old  haunts.  "We  were 
approaching  our  island.  I  looked  at  my  companion — she 
was  praying.  I  immediately  joined  with  her  in  thanks- 
giving for  the  signal  mercy  that  had  been  vouchsafed 
to  us,  and  in  little  more  than  an  hour  had  the  priceless 
satisfaction  of  carrying  her  from  the  shore  to  the  cottage, 
and  then  we  carefully  nursed  ourselves  till  we  recovered 
the  effects  of  this  dreadful  cruise. 


Chapter  XLVIII 

My  numerous  pursuits,  as  I  stated  in  a  preceding  chapter 
obliging  me  to  constant  occupation,  kept  me  from  useless 
repining  about  my  destiny,  in  being  obliged  to  live  so 
many  years  on  this  far-distant  corner  of  the  earth,  I  had 
long  ceased  to  look  for  passing  ships — I  scarcely  ever 
thought  about  them,  and  had  given  up  all  speculations 
about  my  grandfather's  reception  of  me.  I  rarely  went 
out  to  sea,  except  to  fish,  and  never  cared  to  trouble 
myself  about  anything  beyond  the  limited  space  which 
had  become  my  inheritance. 

The  reader,  then,  may  judge  of  my  surprise  when,  one 


The  Little  Savage  259 

sultry  day,  I  had  been  busily  engaged  for  several  hours 
cutting  down  a  field  of  wheat,  Mrs  Reichardt  came 
running  to  me  with  the  astounding  news  that  there  was 
a  ship  off  the  island,  and  a  boat  full  of  people  had  just 
left  her,  and  were  rowing  towards  the  rocks.  I  hastily 
took  the  glass  she  had  brought  with  her,  and  as  soon 
as  I  could  get  to  a  convenient  position,  threw  myself  on 
the  ground  on  the  rock,  and  reconnoitred  through  the 
glass  the  appearance  of  the  new  comers. 

I  soon  noticed  that  a  part  were  well  armed,  which  was 
not  the  case  with  the  rest,  for  they  were  pinioned  in  such 
a  manner  that  they  could  scarcely  move  hand  or  foot. 
We  concealed  ourselves  by  lying  our  lengths  on  the 
grass.  As  the  boat  approached,  I  could  discern  that  the 
unarmed  party  belonged  to  a  superior  class  of  men,  while 
many  of  the  others  had  countenances  that  did  not  pre- 
possess me  at  all  in  their  favour. 

We  lay  hid  in  the  long  grass,  from  which  we  could 
command  a  view  of  our  approaching  visitors. 

"  I  think  I  understand  this,"  whispered  Mrs  Reichardt. 
"  There  is  mischief  here." 

*'  Had  I  not  better  run  home  and  get  arms  ?  "     I  asked. 

"No,"  she  replied,  **  you  had  better  not.  If  we  are 
able  to  do  any  good,  we  must  do  it  by  stratagem.  Let 
us  watch  their  movements,  and  act  with  great  caution." 

My  companion's  advice  was,  I  saw,  the  wisest  that  could 
be  pursued ;  and  therefore  we  remained  in  our  hiding 
places,  narrowly  observing  our  visitors  as  they  approached. 
They  entered  the  fishing-pool,  and  I  could  then  distinctly 
not  only  see  but  hear  them.  To  my  extreme  surprise, 
one  of  the  first  men  who  jumped  out  of  the  boat  was 
John  Gough,  who  had  brought  Mrs  Reichardt  to  the 
island.  He  looked  older,  but  I  recognised  him  in  a 
moment,  and  so  did  my  companion.  Her  admonitory 
"Hush  ! "  kept  me  from  betraying  the  place  of  our  con- 
cealment— so  great  was  my  astonishment — having  long 
believed  him  and  all  his  lawless  associates  to  have  been 
lost  at  sea. 


26o  The  Little  Savage 

He  was  well  armed,  and  evidently  possessed  some 
authority  ;  nevertheless,  I  thought  I  could  detect  an  air 
of  concern  in  his  features,  as  he  offered  to  help  one  of 
the  captives  out  of  the  boat.  The  latter,  however,  re- 
garded him  with  an  air  of  disdain,  and,  though  his  hands 
were  tied  behind  him,  leaped  ashore  without  assistance. 
He  was  a  man  of  commanding  stature,  with  a  well  bronzed 
face,  and  a  look  of  great  energy  of  character.  He  wore 
a  band  of  gold  lace  round  his  cap,  and  had  on  duck 
trousers,  and  a  blue  jacket  and  waistcoat. 

'*  Come,  captain ! "  exclaimed  John  Gough,  **  I  bear 
you  no  malice.  Though  you  have  been  rather  hard  upon 
us,  we  won't  leave  you  to  starve." 

*'  He's  a  deuced  deal  better  off  than  he  desarves  to  be," 
cried  a  man  from  the  boat,  whom  I  at  once  recognised  as 
the  fellow  on  whom  I  had  drawn  my  knife  for  hurting 
Nero.  "  If  we  had  made  him  walk  the  plank,  as  I  pro- 
posed, I'm  blowed  if  it  wouldn't  have  been  much  more 
to  the  purpose  than  putting  him  on  this  here  island,  with 
lots  o'  prog,  and  everything  calkilated  to  make  him  and 
his  domineering  officers  comfortable  for  the  rest  of  their 
days." 

"  Hold  your  tongue,  you  mutineering  rascal,"  exclaimed 
the  captain  angrily.  ''A  rope's  end  at  the  yard-arm  will 
be  your  deserts  before  long." 

"  Thank  ye  kindly,  captain,"  replied  the  fellow,  touch- 
ing his  hat  in  mockery.  "But  you  must  be  pleased  to 
remember  I  ain't  caught  yet ;  and  we  means  to  have  many 
a  jolly  cruise  in  your  ship,  and  get  no  end  o'  treasure, 
before  I  shall  think  o'  my  latter  end ;  and  then  I  means  to 
die  like  a  Christian,  and  repent  o'  my  sins,  and  make  a 
much  more  edifying  example  than  I  should  exhibit 
dangling  at  the  end  of  a  rope." 

The  men  laughed,  the  captain  muttered  something 
about  "  pirates  and  mutineers,"  but  the  rest  of  the  officers 
wisely  held  their  tongues. 

I  now  noticed  an  elderly  man  of  very  respectable 
appearance,    who  was    not   pinioned   like   the   rest.     His 


The  Little  Savage  261 

hair  was  quite  white,  his  complexion  very  pale,  and  he 
looked  like  one  oppressed  with  deep  sorrow  and  anxiety. 
He  rose  from  his  seat  in  the  boat,  and  was  assisted  out 
by  John  Gough. 

"I'm  very  sorry  that  we  are  obliged  to  leave  you  here, 
Mr  Evelyn,"  said  Gough,  **  but  you  see,  sir,  we  have  no 
alternative.  We  couldn't  keep  you  with  us,  for  many 
reasons  ;  and  therefore  we  have  been  obliged  to  make 
you  a  sharer  in  the  fate  of  our  officers." 

"  And  werry  painful  this  is  to  our  feelings,  sir,  you 
may  believe,"  said  another  of  the  mutineers  mockingly. 
^*  I'm  quite  moloncholy  as  I  thinks  on  it." 

The  men  again  laughed  ;  but  the  person  so  addressed 
walked  to  the  side  of  the  captain  without  making  any 
observation.  The  other  captives  also  left  the  boat  in 
silence.  They  were  eight  in  all,  but  four  of  them  were 
evidently  common  seamen  by  their  dress — the  others  were 
officers.     All  were  well-made,  strong  men. 

"What  a  precious  pretty  colony  you'll  make,  my 
hearties !  "  exclaimed  one  of  the  mutineers,  jeeringly,  as 
he  helped  to  land  a  cask,  and  some  other  packages,  that 
they  had  brought  with  them.  "  It's  a  thousand  pities  you 
ain't  got  no  female  associates,  that  you  might  marry,  and 
settle,  and  bring  up  respectable  families." 

"  Talking  of  women,"  cried  the  one  who  had  first  spoken, 
"  I  wonder  what  became  of  the  one  we  left  here  so  cleverly 
when  we  was  wrecked  at  this  here  place  six  years  ago." 

John  Gough  looked  uneasy  at  this  inquiry,  as  if  the 
recollection  was  not  agreaable  to  him. 

"  And  the  Little  Savage,"  continued  the  fellow,  "  what 
was  agoing  to  send  his  knife  into  my  ribs  for  summat  or 
other — I  forget  what.  They  must  have  died  long  ago, 
I  ain't  no  doubt,  as  we  unfortnitely  left  'em  nothin'  to 
live  upon." 

"  No  doubt  they  died  hand  in  hand,  like  the  Babes  in 
the  Wood,"  said  another. 

I  still  observed  John  Gough  ;  he  seemed  distressed  at 
the  turn  the  conversation  had  taken. 


262  The  Little  Savage 

"Now,  mates,"  he  said  hurriedly,  "let  us  return  to 
the  ship.     We  have  done  what  we  came  to  do." 

"  I  votes  as  we  shall  go  and  see  arter  the  Missionary's 
woman  and  the  Little  Savage,"  cried  the  fourth.  "  I 
should  like,  somehow,  to  see  whether  they  be  living  or 
not,  and  a  stroll  ashore  won't  do  any  on  us  any  harm." 

"  I  shall  remain  here  till  you  return,"  said  John  Gough ; 
and  he  threw  himself  on  the  grass  with  his  back  towards 
me,  and  only  a  few  yards  from  the  place  in  which  we  were 
concealed.  The  rest,  after  making  fast  the  boat,  started 
off  on  an  exploring  expedition,  in  the  direction  of  the 
old  hut. 


Chapter  XLIX 

The  captives  were  grouped  together,  some  sitting,  and 
some  standing.  Not  one  of  them  looked  dejected  at  his 
fate ;  though  I  could  see  by  their  movements  that  they 
were  impatient  of  the  bonds  that  tied  them.  My  attention 
was  most  frequently  directed  to  the  old  gentleman  who 
had  been  addressed  as  Mr  Evelyn.  Notwithstanding  the 
grief  expressed  in  his  countenance,  it  possessed  an  air  of 
benevolence  and  kindness  of  heart  that  even  his  settled 
melancholy  did  not  conceal.  I  could  not  understand  why, 
but  I  felt  a  deeper  interest  for  this  person  than  for  any 
of  the  others — a  sort  of  yearning  towards  him,  mingled 
with  a  desire  to  protect  him  from  the  malice  of  his 
enemies. 

Almost  as  soon  as  they  were  gone,  John  Gough 
beckoned  to  Mr  Evelyn  to  sit  down  by  his  side. 
Possibly  this  was  done  to  prevent  his  assisting  his 
companions  to  regain  their  liberty,  as  he,  not  being 
pinioned  like  the  rest,  might  easily  have  done,  and 
they  might  have  overpowered  their  guard  before  his 
companions  could  come  to  his  assistance.  But  Gough 
was  well  armed,  and  the  rest  being  without  weapons  of 


The  Little  Savage  263 

any  kind,  it  was  scarcely  probable  that  they  would  have 
risked  their  lives  in  so  desperate  an  attempt. 

Mr  Evelyn  came  and  quietly  sat  himself  down  in  the 
place  indicated.  I  observed  him  with  increasing  interest, 
and  singular  to  relate,  the  more  I  gazed  on  his  venerable 
face,  the  more  strongly  I  felt  assured  that  I  had  seen  it 
before.  This  of  course  was  impossible,  nevertheless,  the 
fancy  took  possession  of  me,  and  I  experienced  a  strange 
sensation  of  pleasure  as  I  watched  the  changes  his  features 
underwent. 

**  John  Gough,  I  am  sorry  to  see  you  mixed  up  in  this 
miserable  business,"  said  he,  mildly  addressing  his  com- 
panion. The  other  did  not  answer,  and  as  his  back  was 
turned  towards  me  I  could  not  observe  the  eiFect  the 
observation  had  upon  him. 

*'  The  men  who  have  left  us  I  know  to  be  bad  men," 
continued  the  speaker  ;  "  I  expect  nothing  but  wickedness 
from  them.  But  you  I  am  aware  have  been  better  brought 
up.  Your  responsibility  therefore  becomes  the  greater  in 
assisting  them  in  their  villainy." 

"  You  had  better  not  let  them  hear  you,  Mr  Evelyn," 
replied  Gough,  at  last,  in  something  like  a  surly  tone  ; 
**  I  would  not  answer  for  the  consequences." 

"  Those  I  do  not  fear,"  the  other  answered.  "  The 
results  of  this  transaction  can  make  very  little  difference 
to  a  man  on  the  verge  of  the  grave,  who  has  outlived 
all  his  relatives,  and  has  nothing  left  to  fall  back  upon  but 
the  memory  of  his  misfortunes  :  but  to  one  in  the  prime  of 
life  like  yourself,  who  can  boast  of  friends  and  relatives 
who  feel  an  interest  in  your  good  name,  these  results  must 
be  serious  indeed.  What  must  be  the  feelings  of  your 
respectable  father  when  he  learns  that  you  have  joined 
a  gang  of  pirates  j  how  intense  must  be  the  grief  of  your 
amiable  mother  when  she  hears  that  you  have  paid  the 
penalty  that  must  sooner  or  later  overtake  you  for  em- 
bracing so  lawless  a  life." 

"  Come,  Mr  Evelyn,"  exclaimed  Gough,  though  with  a 
tremulousness  in  his  voice  that  betrayed  the  state  of  his 


264  The  Little  Savage 

feelings,  "  you  have  no  right  to  preach  to  me.  I  have 
done  as  much  as  I  could  for  you  all.  The  men  would 
have  made  short  work  with  you,  if  I  had  not  interposed, 
and  pointed  out  to  them  this  uninhabited  island." 

"  Where  it  seems  you  left  a  poor  woman  to  be  starved 
to  death,"  continued  Mr  Evelyn. 

"  It  was  no  fault  of  mine,"  replied  the  man  -,  "I  did  all 
I  could  to  prevent  it." 

"  It  would  have  been  more  manly  if  you  had  remained 
with  her  on  this  rock,  and  left  your  cowardly  associates  to 
take  their  selfish  course.  But  you  are  weak  and  irresolute, 
John  Gough  ;  too  easily  persuaded  into  evil,  too  slow  to 
follow  the  impulses  of  good.  The  murder  of  that  poor 
woman  is  as  much  your  deed  as  if  you  had  blown  her 
brains  out  before  you  abandoned  her.  Indeed  I  do  not 
know  but  what  the  latter  would  have  been  the  less 
criminal." 

John  Gough  made  no  answer.  I  do  not  think,  however, 
his  mind  was  quite  easy  under  this  accusation,  for  he 
seemed  restless,  and  kept  playing  with  his  pistols,  with  his 
eyes  cast  down. 

"  Your  complicity  in  this  mutiny,  too,  John  Gough,  is 
equally  inexcusable,"  continued  Mr  Eveyln.  "  It  was  your 
duty  to  have  stood  by  Captain  Manvers  and  his  officers, 
by  which  you  would  have  earned  their  eternal  gratitude, 
and  a  handsome  provision  from  the  owners  of  the 
vessel." 

"  It's  no  use  talking  of  these  things  now,  Mr  Evelyn," 
said  Gough,  hurriedly.  **  I  have  taken  my  course.  It  is 
too  late  to  turn  back.  Would  to  God,"  he  added,  dashing 
his  hand  violently  against  his  brow,  "  I  had  had  nothing  to 
do  with  it." 

"  It  is  never  too  late,  John  Gough,  to  do  good,"  here 
cried  out  Mrs  Reichardt,  as  she  rose  from  her  place  of 
concealment,  as  much  to  my  surprise  as  that  of  all  who 
could  observe  her.  But  nothing  could  equal  the  astonish- 
ment of  Gough  when  he  first  caught  sight  of  her  features  ; 
— he  sprang  to  his  feet,  leaving  his  pistols  on  the  ground. 


The  Little  Savage  265 

and  clasping  his  hands  together,  exclaimed,  "  Thank  God, 
she  is  safe  !  " 

"  Yes,"  she  replied,  approaching  him  and  taking  his 
hand  kindly.  "  By  an  interposition  of  Providence,  you 
are  saved  from  the  guilt  of  one  murder.  In  the  name  of 
that  God  who  has  so  signally  preserved  you  against 
yourself,  I  command  you  to  abandon  your  present  wicked 
designs." 

The  man  hesitated,  but  it  seemed  as  if  he  could  not 
take  his  gaze  from  her  face,  and  it  was  evident  that  her 
presence  exerted  an  extraordinary  influence  over  him.  In 
the  meantime  I  had  made  my  appearance  on  the  scene,  not 
less  to  the  astonishment  of  the  lookers-on ;  and  my  first 
act  was  to  take  possession  of  the  pair  of  pistols  that 
Gough  had  left  on  the  ground ;  my  next  to  hurry  to  the 
group  of  captives,  who  had  been  regarding  us,  in  a  state 
as  it  were  of  perfect  bewilderment,  and  with  my 
American  knife  to  cut  their  bonds. 

**  I  will  do  whatever  you  think  proper,"  said  John 
Gough.  "  Believe  me  I  have  been  reluctantly  led  into 
this,  and  joined  the  mutiny  knowing  that  I  should  have 
been  murdered  if  I  did  not." 

"  You  must  endeavour  to  make  what  amends  are  in 
your  power,"  continued  Mrs  Reichardt,  "  by  assisting 
your  officers  in  recovering  possession  of  the  ship." 

"  I  will  gladly  assist  in  whatever  they  may  think 
feasible,"  said  the  man.  "But  we  must  first  secure  the 
desperate  fellows  who  have  just  left  us,  and  as  we  are  but 
poorly  provided  with  weapons,  that  of  itself  will  be  a 
service  of  no  slight  danger.  To  get  possession  of  the 
ship  I  am  afraid  will  be  still  more  hazardous  ;  but  you 
shall  find  me  in  the  front  of  every  danger." 

Here  Captain  Manvers  and  the  others  came  up  to  where 
John  Gough  and  Mrs  Reichardt  were  conversing  ;  he 
heard  Gough's  last  speech,  and  he  was  going  to  say  some- 
thing, when  I  interposed  by  stating  that  there  was  no  time 
now  for  explanations,  for  in  a  few  minutes  the  fellows 
who  had  gone  to  the  hut  would  return,  and  the  only  way 


266  The  Little  Savage 

to  prepare  for  them  was  for  the  whole  party  to  go  to  our 
house,  to  which  Mrs  Reichardt  would  lead  them,  where 
they  would  find  plenty  of  arms  and  ammunition.  In  the 
meantime  I  would  keep  watch,  and  observe  their  motions, 
and  by  firing  one  of  the  pistols  would  signal  to  them  if  I 
was  in  any  danger.  Lastly,  I  recommended  that  the  oars 
should  be  removed  from  the  boat,  to  prevent  the  mutineers 
making  their  escape  to  the  ship. 

My  appearance  and  discourse  attracted  general  attention. 
I  particularly  noticed  that  Mr  Evelyn  started  as  soon  as  he 
caught  sight  of  me,  and  appeared  to  observe  me  with 
singular  carefulness  ;  but  that,  no  doubt,  arose  from  my 
unexpected  address,  and  the  strange  way  in  which  I  had 
presented  myself  before  him. 

The  Captain  approving  of  my  proposal,  the  whole  party, 
after  taking  away  the  boat's  oars,  moved  off  rapidly  in  the 
direction  of  the  house.  I  again  concealed  myself  in  the 
grass,  and  waited  the  return  of  the  mutineers.  They  did 
not  remain  away  long.  I  could  hear  them  approaching, 
for  they  laughed  and  shouted  as  they  went  along  loud 
enough  to  be  heard  at  a  considerable  distance.  When 
they  began  to  descend  the  rocks,  they  passed  so  close  to 
me,  that  I  could  hear  every  word  that  was  spoken. 

"  Well,  flesh  is  grass,  as  the  parson  says,"  said  Jack  ; 
"  they  must  have  died  sooner  or  later,  if  we  hadn't  parted 
company  with  so  little  ceremony.  But,  hallo  !  my  eyes 
and  limbs  !  Where's  John  Gough  ?  Where's  the  cap- 
tain ?     Where's  all  on  'em  ? " 

It  is  impossible  to  express  the  astonishment  of  the  men 
on  reaching  the  spot  where  they  had  so  lately  left  their 
prisoners,  and  discovering  that  not  a  trace  of  them  was  to 
be  seen.  At  first  they  imagined  that  they  had  escaped  in 
the  boat,  but  as  soon  as  they  saw  that  the  boat  was  safe, 
they  gave  up  that  idea.  Then  they  fancied  John  Gough 
had  taken  the  prisoners  to  stroll  a  little  distance  inland, 
and  they  began  to  shout  as  loud  as  their  lungs  would 
permit  them.  Receiving  no  response,  they  uttered  many 
strange  ejaculations,  which  I  could  not  then  understand. 


The  Little  Savage  267 

but  which  I  have  since  learned  were  profane  oaths  ;  and 
seemed  at  a  loss  what  to  do,  whether  to  wander  about  the 
island  in  search  of  them,  or  return  to  their  ship. 

Only  one  chanced  to  be  for  the  former,  and  the  others 
overruled  him,  not  thinking  it  was  worth  their  while  to 
take  so  much  trouble  as  to  go  rambling  about  in  a  strange 
place.  They  seemed  bent  on  taking  to  the  boat,  when 
one  of  them  suggested  they  might  get  into  a  scrape  if  they 
returned  without  their  companion.  They  finally  resolved 
on  sitting  down  and  waiting  his  return. 

Presently,  one  complained  he  was  very  sleepy,  as  he 
had  been  too  busy  mutineering  to  turn  into  his  hammock 
the  previous  night,  and  the  others  acknowledged  they  also 
felt  an  equal  want  of  rest  from  the  same  cause.  Each 
began  to  yawn.  They  laid  themselves  at  their  full  length 
along  the  grass,  and  in  a  short  time  I  could  hear  by  their 
snoring,  as  Jackson  used  to  do,  that  they  were  asleep. 

I  now  crept  stealthily  towards  them  on  my  hands  and 
knees,  and  they  were  in  such  a  profound  sleep,  that  I  had 
no  difficulty  whatever  in  removing  the  pistols  from  their 
belts.  I  had  just  succeeded  in  this,  when  I  beheld  the 
captain,  and  John  Gough,  and  Mr  Evelyn,  and  all  the 
rest  of  them,  well  armed  with  guns  and  pistols,  approach- 
ing the  place  where  we  were. 

In  a  few  minutes  afterwards  the  mutineers  were  made 
prisoners,  without  their  having  an  opportunity  of  making 
the  slightest  resistance.  I  was  much  complimented  by  the 
captain  for  the  dexterity  with  which  I  had  disarmed  them ; 
but  while  I  was  in  conversation  with  him,  it  is  impossible 
to  express  the  surprise  I  felt,  on  seeing  Mr  Evelyn 
suddenly  rush  towards  me  from  the  side  of  Mrs  Reichardt, 
with  whom  he  had  been  talking,  and,  embracing  me  with 
the  most  moving  demonstrations  of  affection,  claim  me  as 
his  grandson. 

The  mystery  was  soon  explained.  Mr  Evelyn  had 
met  so  many  losses  in  business  as  a  merchant,  that  he 
took  the  opportunity  of  a  son  of  his  old  clerk — who  had 
become  a  captain  of  a  fine  ship,  employed  in  the  South 


2  68  The  Little  Savage 

American  trade — being  about  to  proceed  on  a  trading 
voyage  to  that  part  of  the  world,  to  sail  in  his  vessel  with 
a  consignment  of  goods  for  the  South  American  market. 
He  had  also  another  object,  which  was  to  inquire  after 
the  fate  of  his  long-lost  daughter  and  son-in-law,  of  whom 
he  had  received  no  certain  intelligence,  since  the  latter 
took  ship  with  the  diamonds  he  had  purchased  to  return 
home.  The  vessel  in  which  they  sailed  had  never  been 
heard  of  since  ;  and  Mr  Evelyn  had  long  given  up  all 
hopes  of  seeing  either  of  them  again,  or  the  valuable 
property  with  which  they  had  been  entrusted. 

On  their  going  to  the  house,  he  had  asked  Mrs 
Reichardt  my  name,  stating  that  I  so  strongly  resembled 
a  very  dear  friend  of  his,  he  believed  had  perished  many 
years  ago,  that  he  felt  quite  an  interest  in  me.  The 
answer  he  received  led  to  a  series  of  the  most  earnest 
inquiries,  and  Mrs  Reichardt  satisfied  him  on  every  point, 
showed  him  all  the  property  that  had  formerly  been  in 
the  possession  of  Mrs  Henniker  and  her  husband :  related 
Jackson's  story,  and  convinced  him,  that  though  he  had 
lost  the  daughter  for  whom  he  had  mourned  so  long,  her 
representative  existed  in  the  Little  Savage,  who  was 
saving  him  from  the  fate  for  which  he  had  been  perserved 
by  the  mutineers. 

I  have  only  to  add,  that  I  had  the  happiness  of  restoring 
to  my  grandfather  the  diamonds  I  had  obtained  from 
Jackson,  which  were  no  doubt  very  welcome  to  him,  for 
they  not  only  restored  him  to  affluence,  but  made  him  one 
of  the  richest  merchants  upon  Change. 

I  was  also  instrumental  in  obtaining  for  the  captain 
the  command  of  his  ship,  and  of  restoring  discipline 
amongst  the  crew.  The  ringleaders  of  the  mutiny  were 
thrown  into  irons,  and  taken  home  for  trial ;  this  resulted 
in  one  or  two  of  them  being  hanged  by  way  of  example, 
and  these  happened  to  be  the  men  who  so  barbarously 
deserted  Mrs  Reichardt.  She  accompanied  me  to  England 
in  Captain  Manvers's  vessel,  for  when  he  heard  of  the 
obligations  I  owed  her,  my  grandfather  decided  that  she 


The  Little  Savage  269 

should  remain  with  us  as  long  as  she  lived.  We  however 
did  not  leave  the  island  until  we  had  shown  my  grand- 
father, the  captain,  and  his  officers,  what  we  had  effected 
during  our  stay,  and  every  one  was  surprised  that  we 
could  have  produced  a  flourishing  farm  upon  a  barren 
rock.  I  did  not  fail  to  show  the  places  where  I  had  had 
my  iight  with  the  python,  and  where  I  had  been  pursued 
by  the  sharks,  and  my  narrative  of  both  incidents  seemed 
to  astonish  my  hearers  exceedingly. 

I  must  not  forget  to  add,  that  the  day  before  our 
departure,  John  Gough  came  to  me  privately,  and  requested 
my  good  offices  with  the  captain,  that  he  might  be  left  on 
the  island.  He  had  become  a  very  different  character  to 
what  he  had  previously  been  ;  and  as  there  could  be  no 
question  that  the  repentance  he  assumed  was  sincere, 
I  said  all  I  could  for  him.  My  recommendation  was 
successful,  and  I  transferred  to  John  Gough  all  my  farm, 
farming  stock,  and  agricultural  implements ;  moreover, 
promised  to  send  him  whatever  he  might  further  require 
to  make  his  position  comfortable.  He  expressed  great 
gratitude,  but  desired  nothing  ;  only  that  his  family  might 
know  that  he  was  well  off,  and  was  not  likely  to  return. 

Perhaps  John  Gough  did  not  like  the  risk  he  ran  of 
being  tried  for  mutiny,  or  was  averse  to  sailing  with  his 
former  comrades  ;  but  whatever  was  the  cause  of  his 
resolution,  it  is  certain  that  he  remained  behind  when  the 
ship  left  the  island,  and  may  be  there  to  this  hour  for  all 
I  know  to  the  contrary. 

We  made  a  quick  voyage  to  England,  and  as  my 
readers  will  no  doubt  be  glad  to  hear,  the  Little  Savage 
landed  safely  at  Plymouth,  and  was  soon  cordially 
welcomed  to  his  grandfather's  house  in  London. 


THE   END. 


PRINTED   BY 

TURNBULL  AND  SPEARS 

EDINBURGH. 


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